Tron: The Subsequent
by D.E.L.T
Summary: Sam and quorra got into The Grid in search of his missing cousin, Lisa. But they got more than just her.
1. Chapter 1

A man was walking through the alley in hurry. He's pushing up his glasses from his nose's bridge. He approached another man which was clicking a table, surely there's a computer there.

"Sir. There's reporter in the lobby."

"Goodness gracious!"

Sam shut his mouth awkwardly, still focusing his eyes at the computer. "Uh, I mean, what? No, I mean, ignore them."

"What about backdoor? This crowd can't just believe you're not here, if we're lying."

The man stopped typing. "backdoor?" He's looking straight for pretty long time before stared his assistant. "Not you who should speak to them. You're just so.. honest. Ten dollar bet, I'll stop them."

"Eh.. okay..?"

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made the crowd thereinafter looked towards to the sound's owner. Like the time stop, a moment after they chased him and start to asking loudly as the mass their own made buzz jarring around the room.

"Mr. Flynn! What intention you have to entering ENCOM?"

"were you ran out of money and in huge debt so you took your right as the biggest shareholder?"

Sam stood still and lifted up his hand.

"Enough!"

The crowd in silent. Sam, no smile at all.

"I realize to do what I have to. Please don't bother me and the workers of ENCOM. We do receive questions on particular situation only. I don't answer anything relate to private motive or any kinds."

"Why not?" Asked someone in plainness face.

Sam stared them with sullen mimic. He's walking straight in haste. And the sound of this special humans called as reporters were buzzing around. Again.

A woman crossed the turning door in hurry and a big hope. She ran to Sam and pointing her mic to him like the others as desire more than job to do. "Can you tell me about The Grid?"

Sam stared her in surprise. He kept silent a moment, before smile showed in his face. Finally.

"I'm fan of kevin Flynn. I really love his books since it was first released. I always pry myself."

He remembered his beloved father.

"The Grid is a.. World. There's programs, which likely us. They live."

The woman nodded her head in amaze. "Then.. What about the 'Miracle' he always mention? What is that?"

Sam was watching her with proud.

"Human."

He left her in speechless.

And wonder.

Since that, Sam interrupted by talkshow interview, wish he explained everything about The Grid, and the miracle his father mentioned long time ago in his books and speech. He knew that as an ISO, Quorra can be quarantined for everything she owned in her body, as his father was willing them to help reshaped human condition. But as well as few people that could manage to used her in the purpose, he also knew Quorra needed to lived like others and he sure this is what his father would do. He always denied to told about it. And they seemed towards to his new action of taking ENCOM more than believed The Grid's existence. Or wanted to made his image more to an idiot.

"Maybe you ran ENCOM because of you saw your father's creations and knew it was a legacy to be showed to the world. You have the responsibility. Probably the story in it?" Asked the presenter.

Sam didn't look pleased, but he had prepared answer for long ago. "I'm not my father. He might describe it, but I'd made changes and actions that without all of you knew, paid what you curious about. There's no story, and I'm no commenting it anymore. If that be, trust me, you'll hear and feel that soon. I'm sorry that my father might disadvantage most of his viewers and readers, but I need to find the rightest time to let everyone know. I expect your patience."

Sam arrived at his office with silver black blazer and trousers, a really different person in adultness. He stroke his motorcycle as he step to the front door. The security he once met long time ago, few couple of nights before his life really changed, greet him in respectful and enthusiasm. An assistant walks behind him and gives him a tablet. "The meeting on nine a.m."

"Where's Alan?"

"Mr. Bradley wait for you."

Sam was smiling to himself. Things are just normal.

* * *

"Fine. That's all."

Sam smiled—he loved to do it—to Alan before the old chairman left the meeting room first. He allowed his assistant to go before him. He did this as he annoyed to saw ENCOM's head for software designer, Edward Dillinger, still sitting on his chair, left side of his meeting table. The young man don't like this but he want to hear what is that man want.

"If you're going to talk about private business, I won't serve you." Said Sam. Edward look to nowhere, then he stands and walks towards to the town's view.

"If this about world's importance? Would you deny?"

"That's still private. I'm out." Sam want to away soon. But Edward can't let it. "What? Your father want to show this from ENCOM! This is our big breakthrough! This will be the company progress to us!"

Sam turned back, his face stiffen. "I know what I'm doing."

"You know?" Edward get closer to him with same mimic. "What do you know? You're leaving ENCOM while we worked hard to kept it in high levels! You did nothing! Just enjoyed your life or ruined it because it wouldn't be any matter for you as shareholder! And now, you've taken back this company in your charges, expelled Richard Mackey, he's the best chairman instead of you!"

Sam's mocking smile made edward furious. "I just move him to Japan. He liked it anyway."

"After you fired him here."

"As all of you took the advantage of this company for years, and I'd never protested, I wanted he learned from that, oh, actually you should be fired as well before I offer this place you'd 'earned' before. Now let me do what I want to do to run this company. You knew that Alan used to it and he were watching all of you. He pity for me because I lived down the bridge and never showed up as the 500 company shareholder."

Edward purse his lips in regret. Maybe he need to get to the point. "Fine. You win. I just want to know about The Grid."

Sam disbelieve this, but he might guess. "Enough. The Grid has lost your brains! All of you! My fault discuss this moron things."

"What's the matter? The Grid is something big. Something that your father said it's our destiny."

"Keep yourself in imaginary world." As Sam say so, he go out in anger.

Edward shout him, "I'll never give up to find out the truth! Find out answers! Solve problems! No! I won't!"

That's the dangerous kind of ambition.

Sam look on his handphone's screen. An appointment with Quorra.

"Sam!"

Quorra, a beautiful, naive but also smart woman, was calling Sam from afar. Sam very happy to see her that greet him with a sweet hug. He kiss back of her hand. They walk together to a cafe.

"So, what's the news? They do good to you?"

Quorra nod her head. "Finally, they find out how to cure blindness."

That's a simple word that really change everything. Sam can't believe he not only hoping it anymore. A really gift from God.

"You're not going to tell about Flynn?" Ask Quorra suddenly in expections.

Sam stare her surprisingly. He in silent before shook his head. "If I do, they must ask for prove, and soon, The Grid. I sick with that."

Quorra stare Sam dissappointly. "But.. We need to give him.." She can't hold her tears. "Funeral. I can't wait for that. I always remember this whole nights. It hurts me."

"I know.." Sam's heart felt stabbed with thousands knife. "I'm sorry. It just, The Grid is too much dangerous to be known. And I also told about the ISOs already. This isn't good for you." Sam hold Quorra's hand but she seems to not amuse at all.

"Flynn tried to gifted ISO to the world. That was fine. I've showed the best I can do to help, let those scientist use me for research and heal lot of disease of human. But if they do not know, they would also never know about Flynn, there were never be funeral, no respect to him. I feel like myself here is hesitate."

"I won't let them exploitate you. You're not robot. You're human too. Like us. Many stars died because they can't live in peace."

"Stars?" Quorra imagine the star in the sky and thought that Sam want to change their topic.

Sam take a long breath. "Actor, actrees, or singer. Lets talk about our life. This is important too. Dad wouldn't let you if he's here."

Quorra shout a little bit to Sam. "He is not here."

Her words makes him speechless. That was deep even if Quorra didn't mean to it. He try to consider that and the first time of his life he really listen to her. He never did since before. But someone figure remind him how hurt this fact will be. Yes. That person.

"I have another reason. I did realize it, but not remembered that."

Quorra unsatisfy shows up. But this shouldn't be any problem instead of world knowledge, so the hope are still there. She's waiting Sam.

"Maybe I can give the fake report of his.. Death. So nobody will interrupted you. Alan had knew about this, but there's someone I can't let her know. At least for now." Sam almost have tears. But he hold it so hard.

"Who is she?"

"Well," Sam quirked both his eyebrows. "She's his niece. The last time I saw her was in her photo, five years ago. She was in Cal-Tech University. Few years after I'm out. I might like, but not as craze as dad did. Well, she did. His ambition of computer is in her blood. Not mine."

Quorra surprised since he mentioned about 'girl'. She tried to guessing the person. "Is she.. Lisa?"

"You.. Know her?"

Surely.

"Her name is Allison Thatcher. She must be graduated.. Oh my.. Two days ago she had arrived at home. Had to! I forgot." Sam tapped his forehead with regretful face. Quorra laugh to see him. "Forgetting special event? Your favorite."

"I've never to you. But this girl is too long for not seen. She and her education, and motive behind it makes me sad. Did he mention her to you often?"

Quorra nodded her head. As she took something from her bag. A big book. But Sam directly recognized it as his family and friends's album, he shocked but gladdened. "Intervened personal closet? Your favorite. Anyway, how did you got in to my house? Marv opened the door?"

Quorra was laughing, remembered that everybody would get in if they took a risk of almost swimming to the river for reached his small harbour, she don't like to knock the door and wait. She opens the book, pages, Sam seeing the photos and memorized them beautifully, though at first, she took a long time to opened the second page as the first filled with Flynn and his little family pictures, and she praised for his beautifull wife, instead of memorized Flynn. Sam saw it too, understood her mean and he thought he would do same. Even longer. But he know Quorra is in haste, however. He know what page she's looking for, but he let her with her world. "This." She was pointing a picture of a girl smiled in doubtful, alone and felt awkward. Was sitting near her computer, which seemed to be everywhere and Sam didn't surprise to see that. He proud and feel competite. "Yeah, right. She don't like to take a pic. Weird. The way I differentiate her and dad."

"At least she finishes her school." Quorra smiling which makes Sam feel a bit upset. "Don't judge me. I don't like sorta school. I didn't want to ended like her wearing glasses all day."

"But you can use them well. Flynn wear no glasses, anyway."

"I don't hate it. Just.. Don't want to be him. I want to be myself."

Quorra stare him. "His dream isn't yours. He left by himself."

"I know. And I dread I will.. Even though.." Sam shut his mouth. He can't say anything further. "Why you stole it?"

Quorra understand. "I want to anticipate everybody you acquainted who are—sorry, willing to know about The Grid. I'm ready to keep the secret. But I need to know some of your friends you don't believe. I'll assume them as anonymous. And I don't response anonymous."

Sam smiling. "Smart idea. Fine. I will take care of it." He look at his wristwatch. "Lets go home. Tomorrow I going to go to Lisa's house and check if she's not furious to me. Huh." Sam exhale his breath heavily, but then shows his toughness and smiling with Quorra, both ahead to his Ducati. Quorra suggesting something. "Tomorrow with car, right?"

Oh no.


	2. Chapter 2

Quorra opened the car's door. Sam, in the other side, walked quickly to approach her and gave her warn. "Next time, I'll ride."

Quorra laughed. "What about plane?"

Sam turned back, looked not happy to hear that. "Don't show off."

He didn't expect her to laugh more as thought for this man humorous trait. She really couldn't be tired.

They entered the house. It's not a big one. Though the gate and fence had been made so much futuristic by Flynn before, the owner seemed to not made it bigger or as the era is pretty suit it now. Maybe this how they remembered Flynn. And it makes Quorra could felt him along the way. Sam never smelt this as he never came. But he saw Quorra interested with the garden, fulfilled of roses and orchids with their fabulous colors, and let her playing there. She took a pruners which must be put by someone carelessly there. Sam was watching her as he knocked the door. But something seemed not right.

"Quorra?"

She pointed up a rose which the stem was in her grip, and cutted lower end, showing two fresh green leaves. The petals color is blue but more to lilac shade. Sam glanced at her in shocked. That's a rare kind of rose. Quorra was smiling at first, but then lifted her arms, after saw Sam's response because she felt something went wrong with it.

The knob in front of him rotating. Sam pushed the door and held it in panic as it shaking from inside. He shouted to Quorra with no voice out in order she hid the rose and put the pruners on it's place before. Quorra tucked the rose in her rear pants pocket, threw the pruners in more panic. And when she regretted it, Sam can't held the door anymore, or it going to break.

An old woman showed behind the opened door. She's furious. "I have to kick out this trashy." As she noticed who is in front of her which hinder the sunlight that usually spot her door, her face brighten. "Sam!"

"Auntie."

Quorra approached. The woman surprised. "Your girlfriend?"

Sam smiled as Quorra embarassed.

"Where's my manner? Come in." The woman still in joy with the news. Felt so many time had past. And Sam growing, with a beauty woman beside him now. Sam ask her to close the door and pretending like it was stuck. Both guest stare each other in guilt. She pleased them to sat on her sofa before went to the kitchen. When Quorra sitting, she felt something down her and tried to take it, but then Sam saw her in panic and weird position.

"The rose." She whispering. Sam's laugh going to explode, but he concerned it. "Throw it." His eyes pointing at a small trash can near the door. He watched to where his aunt went away in uncertainties.

"My dear? What are you doing?"

Sam and Quorra moved their head in shock to the sound beside them, conversely from the direction they were noticing since before. Sam's aunt also shocked to see her first real Blue Rose which the seed is directly send by her best friend from Japan, is pruned recklessly, and why Sam's girlfriend gripped it?

"Please don't mistaken this, I found it in the trash can." Quorra explained with relaxing position. She could see soon the old woman smile. She forgot it so fast. "It's okay. I'll plant it again."

That sounded ambiguous.

Sam stood as he knew he and Quorra couldn't be longer there. "I want to talk with Lisa."

The old woman put her tray on the table. Cookies and three cup of tea on it made Quorra wanted to take one pair. "Why you so in haste?"

"I am." Sam affirmed.

"She's not home. After the graduation party, she asked to go for sleepover in her friend's house."

Quorra slurping the tea. Sam stared his aunt in astonishment. "Impossible."

"Sam! I know. But can't I just receive that? I tired of being in vain. She never made any relationship five years ago. So I stopped myself from curiosity of her personal life. And now, it seems that the result is amazing. I'm too much happy."

Sam bit his lip. "I.. Can you tell her this? Don't pass tomorrow morning."

His aunt wondered.

"It's about Dad."

Quorra put her tea. She gazed Sam's aunt which confused and also worried, though she should be in joy. But her heart couldn't feel it stronger.

Sam watched Quorra get out of the house, she decided to just walked around the garden. And swore for not touching any flowers. He himself and his aunt kept an eye on her from the window. Sam really wanted to began the conversation, but his mouth like locked.

"You see him?" His aunt began it first. Sam smiling in doubt.

"See him?" Sam turned back and stared his aunt. "Why that so much important for me to tell her?"

The old woman shrugged her shoulders. "Because she's crazy?"

Sam laughing a moment. But it's gone as he breathing.

"He didn't make it."

Silent.

Sam heard a weeping sound. "Where?" Ask his aunt with hoarse voice.

"The Grid." Sam answered simply.

"So it's true?"

"Of course it's true. Dad is catchy-genius. I always thought it just late night tales, but.."

"And," His aunt was seeing Quorra sniffed the roses. "She's the ISO."

Sam surprised. "Yes."

"Sure. You never have any stupid girlfriend like her before. Well, never before."

Sam smiled with cranky. But it's melted into a sad one. "You need to tell her. She's really working hard to be him. And sacrificed for some of my insane request, mocking. I'm not ready to tell her. But Quorra dreamed to have funeral for Dad. Me too, but what I gonna say? She's waiting for him in years. Her belief is greater than me."

"Neither me. She's just baby. I shouldn't tell her anything about him before. What a curse."

"Please."

His aunt nodded her head. What disaster will happen next?

Sam gave a goodbye kiss to his aunt. Quorra huggd her while he runned to the car, but Quorra knew it first, so they competed as same good runners. "No way!" Sam cursed himself. The old woman watching happily from her house because the unique laugh of Quorra sounded funny. But she interrupted by her maid.

"Mam! The savings!"

Before Sam reached the car, preceded by Quorra, he could hear something wrong. As he turned back, he saw his aunt going inside her house in shock. Quorra stopped herself, following Sam in confuse. When they arrived, the woman seemed will go out and look for them, relieving they're still there. "The key to the arcade. Gone."

"She home once?"

His aunt nodded her head again, in disbelieve.

"Perfect." Sam concluding. Before he takes Quorra with him, he confirm one thing. "She's unsociable."

This time, Quorra let Sam drive without saying anything.

They arrived. Soon after, Sam checked the door which not even locked from inside. The arcade didn't switch on. They approached the Tron arcade, tried to examined that one. Sam squatting in front of it, fingering the scratch. It was much different than the last one before he left the place, deeper. Quorra bended over to see what he saw. "Very rude."

"Longer you takes to moving it, the friction gets bigger to damage susceptible surface."

Sam moved the booth. Quorra knew he not need any help. They got in and no more surprised to see along the way, and their destination room, Flynn frontier's room, is cleaned. Everything. Just a small dust you may see after you leave your house for a party and come home at morning. But they didn't see the cleaner. "Nice habit." Said Quorra. Sam just grinning. He checked the desk computer. Groped his memory necklace, but just remembered it was not there because he saved that at home. The Grid is there now. The rest of The Grid. He saw Quorra touching his 7-year old photo. No more in dust. His father dead in such world, and from there a real human appeared, with him now. Great.

"She must be out. Let's wait her outside."

Quorra turned back, agreed. But when she followed Sam who had been outside the room first, she noticed something. Approaching downside the desk, when Sam came back to see what made she's so long. Quorra took something.

Portable mouse.

He speechless.

"No computer here." Sam tried to joking. Quorra stared him seriously.

"Don't denying, Sam. A laptop is computer as well."

Sam pressed his lips.

Quorra stood. She touched the computer desk. Couldn't be.

"Sam, Flynn ever told me that every part of this assemblies connected to this computer as power source."

"So?" Sam asked her like a fool. But then both of them removed the monitor glass out. Sam started to really believed what his mother always said about woman's intuition, instead of what Gem once do, she must tracked him from the white flat hexagon thing, as Zuse is seemingly one kind with the Sirens. The laptop is stand-by there. A cable connected to the connector he once used to transferred The Grid into his memory.

Damned.

"Don't say she's in." Sam stated in confuse and stress.

"Hopefully not."

Sam opened the locked mode, he thought that the password was and must be his father's name. And true. Ha.

The screen was whole black. Just like Command Prompt. Well, he knew this type of condition.

"She's really in." Said Quorra in disappointment.

"That's my greatest fear. Let the fisher find his fishing rod."

"Destiny."

Sam attracted with an icon. A program with sign to be noticed. He clicked it. A window appeared.

HELP ME, SAM! I'M STUCK HERE!

Sam and Quorra seeing the message in silence. Sam clasped a hand over his mouth. He really wanted to be a bad guy right now. Even Quorra's heavy breath made he couldn't hold this more.

"I must save her."

Sam typed on the keyboard, ignored Quorra who opened her mouth as her eyes widened. Every progress of getting into The Grid just done one by one, until an 'Aperture Clear' window appeared. He standing. Facing Quorra that shook her head. "I don't want to lose you."

"Some things are worth the risk. Remember?"

Quorra shouted to Sam. "No."

"Quorra." Sam rebuked her.

He waited a little bit longer until her face wistful.

"You won't lose me if we are together." He thrusted his hand to the woman in front of him.

Seconds passed.

Quorra put her hand on his hand's palm.

"You're lucky I'm from The Grid." She said curtly.

Sam smiled.

"The best ever."

So he confirmed yes.

And the sound of active machines buzzing around.

They closed their eyes. In regret.

The game began.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam opened his eyes. He saw Quorra still at her place, with him. She opened her eyes and surprised. But more to regret. He just gave a thank smile. Ironic if they could be here again. But there's a duty to do.

They going out. Sam remembered the Recognizer that just found him so quickly long time ago when he was in here. The first time greet.

But then, this world still the same?

It was.

Everything was the same. Well, if you look closer, something is different. Though the programs had their usual circuitry lights, or the ground formed like hexagon tiles, but they seemed to be crowd more. Even Quorra could recognize some face she once saw when she was there. But there's no ISO. She thought she could visit them if finally The Grid wasn't changing.

"Why?" Sam stared around. "It was destroyed."

"I know. But, I guess I still see the sea and valley is there. And it never been a crowd like this since purges. That should make sense because I didn't see any ISO around here. Weird. ISO was lovely people, loved to take a walk all the times instead of just sat and drunk. Filled the day with happiness. Never liked battle, just learned how to fight, but not tried to killing each other though Flynn always revived those who deresoluted. That's the real Grid I always loved long time ago. Not so much violation."

Sam was smiling. That's her. Unfortunately she had made it as a way to survive.

Sam suddenly grabbed Quorra's arm and took her away from what she finally saw upon her and made some people around them running away.

Recognizer.

"It's clear now. Someone is in charge. Someone else." Quorra concluded. The Recognizer's appearance changing much. Just it's legs and programs counter stayed.

Sam disappointed. "I wished he was CLU."

Quorra stared Sam, just understood it. "What about the reintegration?"

Go to the hell with that. Sam knew both of them really expected the 'fact' that he still alived. It just, Quorra too dependent on what his father always taught though he himself was not that kind of person.

"I kept dreaming it. I heard that Alan's friend, Dad co-worker, made people raised the poster where it was written 'Flynn Lives', again. Poorly it was useless, but how could I get into The Grid? This thing is way too complex. And I never thought that it was still exist. This would take long time if I going to make it or find it again. It just, we're here now. Don't you know how I want to look for him? I'm such a terrible man."

Quorra hugged Sam. "You look for him as a child. The real man is the best child." But then she stared Sam in suspicious. "Is that your first purpose when we find it out?"

Sam smiling. "Three of four?"

"Sam!"

He laughed. Lisa won't hear that anyway.

"Look." Quorra switched her view to the darkness behind them. But there's a small light. And as they were approaching, some programs seemed surrounds them with unfriendly face. But did nothing. Just stared them. Towards them, where the light seen was a door. Sam took his handphone, as he saw a lock with keyboard in futuristic form, surely. He tried to hack it. Quorra seemed amazed, and curious about the result. None. Very nice.

Sam turned back and stared everyone who finally shows that they're waiting. "We got to work together! You wait the Recognizer capture us?!"

They gathered. It just losing sense of spirit. Yeah, their face looked would never change. But as what they shared, the password finally revealed and they gettin' in happy mimic. Rare things seemingly. Sam and Quorra got in as the last. But the inside was dark. Just light from the outside. As the door closed, few meters ahead, there's somekind of receptionist greeted them from afar. The others was gone. They put their feet on the lock, holding hands, which bothered the program in front of them.

"You gonna be separated for awhile, program. Can you wait?" But the program surprised. "Both of you have no disc. What kind of program are you?"

"Stray. Failed while made."

"I never heard those. Well, blue, green, or red?"

What?

Quorra explained that this is a color of circuitry colors choice, though it not usually be. Their emotions and control over them that gave them the color. "I'm blue, please." She spoke like ordering a menu in restaurant. Sam gave a challenging smile to her before deciding.

"Yellow?"

The receptionist showed how he unpleased this. "Very funny, program. You'll get caught soon."

Both user curioused. "It was exist, then."

"No." The program answered with boring-job mimic. "So? Blue, green, or red?"

"Red."

The next second, they had no idea what happened. They're separated. Sam just regretted what he had said, but he decided this for avoided the Recognizer and made their way to found Lisa was easier. He arrived in the place that similar to the armour room. It just, no Sirens that served him. Everywhere was dark. He hated dark, but soon some transparent spotlights pointed to his body, and he shocked to see that he had been half naked. Then, he saw small lights like fireflies filled the darkness, got closer to him, sticked to his skin, so much horrifying to have your body is a light. As his body was whole lights, brights forced his eyes closed, then he could feel the overheat ended. While he opened his eyes, the lights just forming lines where he knew it used for circuitry lights, but it wasn't exist yet until they're completely formed, so the red lights shined against his skin color. Then, another lightflies went to his back, formed a disc. His lock unlocked. A door opened towards him, and as he stepped out of it, the door closed, gone.

Here he was.

Club.

"Sam!"

Quorra calling him. She put her drinks that seemingly still full on the table where she was sitting with some programs that dominated with blue circuitry light, stared him suspiciously. But some programs that getting in with him and Quorra smiled to greetted the young man though they couldn't believe and not expected him to choose red. Quorra felt sorry for this, but she was worrying more to another reason. She took him to a wide view of the club. Sam amazed but also horrified.

The new Grid.

Four towns surrounding, separated by border who nobody couldn't pass without permission, and from what they saw, only this town that still the normal one like before. Middle town, The Center it's called, a beauty 'castle' which actually looked attracted people in fear. Every battle was there, but no more lightcycle battle, the rumors said it exchanged with light jet. Crazy but from his experience, it's great enough to made World War III. Genocide. Purge.

"Did you think that it was his purpose?"

Sam shook his head. He had no idea. But nothing revealed yet.

"Why you stare The Center, newcomers? Trust me, it was the worst place you might ever visit. Don't be trick with it's hugeness."

Sam and Quorra moved their head, seeing a program leaned to a table, drinking. "Weird eh? The Center fulfilled with mystery. Everyone who had been out, ran to the North Club for another non-stop battle. Yep, North Club. We are the poor south with no elegance, and the left-right is the hipocrate most. Wicked. They might seem like a robot outside, but inside was just the same habit, though they're moving like that. Freaks. Every place did, but south was out of sight. I didn't know why. Well, however, the King won't let anyone threat him, so Recognizer watching us everywhere. If we break the rules, like run for unknown reason instead of walking usual—because they receive our standards, they'll capture us. Ha. Luckily, there's a virus that made us smarter than his Recognizers. We often exploded them while took us to The Center. Beautifull memories."

"The King? A virus?" Sam didn't like how it sound. Quorra listening with amazement. There's no one could defeat those laws. But this Grid had change.

"Yes, the King we never see who's he, and a virus saved us from being bullied. We didn't know where it came from. Spreading to every disc of every program here. Long time ago, we're all the same. But I knew our region was the spotted most. When the virus came over us, we could moving freely. We felt alive more."

The Center was where they seemingly had to visit.

"Don't do that, program. From thousands getting in, only one or two made their free way."

"How about the other towns?"

The program shook his head. "Your movement will be an obstacle. That's the rule. We had better not to cross except we could adapt ourselves there. However that, this region could be acrossed easily and nobody protesting their robotic element. Surely. Told you they bullied us. Our virus detected by the borders, and we knew we couldn't move like those freaks. You'll never make it."

Sam stared Quorra. They had no virus needed.

As both just out of there, still watched around, Sam stole a car whom Quorra didn't mind because she knew there's never be any law in The Grid, so they had freedom. Even the real world respected for what she owned in her body, and there's no law which too tight for her. Just maybe, the car must be drive slower. But this time, she really missed the past. The speed was on her hand now. And this time, Sam didn't protest it. They were acrossing towns. And ended up at north regions. Well, they just found out some places where they not saw any Recognizer, and no many people around, they looked more humanity like in the south one. Probably the viruses was around The Grid, but no one discussed and concluded it so it still a secret between them.

"I worry this was done by user. And Lisa must spent some cycle here already." Sam was sitting on a bench. Quorra received a bottle of blue water from him. "The virus wasn't bad at all. They need to be free. I don't see it damage them."

"But it wasn't spread to all of them. This will make some easily capture and battling then in deadly destiny. No worth for life at all. If she who done this, and I meet her, I will,"

Quorra cutted his words. "We don't find her yet. The Grid is too much wide. Wider. We need a plan and it will take a long time. I scare that I'm not use to not sleep all day. I mean, I'm not a part of program anymore. Human environment affect on me. I can feel it."

Sam seeing the dark gray sky. Will they find Lisa and take her with them? What about the way home?

This gonna be really hard.

But his view switched to a building. It has it's own logo. NC. He can guess it as North Club. Very interesting. "Keep moving, Quorra." He saw the woman was leaning on the wall behind them, sleepy. Sam felt pity for her. "I shouldn't let you go with me."

Sleeping Quorra's head suddenly fell on his shoulder. Sam closed his eyes and let himself felt the light breeze. He didn't know why, but this hurly burly like won't end. The world, nowhere it was, never fair and never care. Problem was everywhere, sometimes the solution and plan didn't enough, you might need to sacrifice some of your rarest time, most important events, happiness, or love. Probably everything. This was happen, and will happen until your last breath. Days passed by so fast.

The Grid was the same world.

Sam and Quorra got closer to the closed door. North Club was seemingly didn't suit it's name. No even lights around. Dark. Preventing any stupid program from wasting their time. Or maybe a direct sign for every fighters from The Center to stop themselves and got in with first purpose of being hidden, and kept their fights ambition. Quorra attracted with a big square hole beside the door. Sam stood in front of it to get the whole view.

"Look at this, Quorra. Like a vending machine. I just need a to click some button and a bottle of soda will sliding out to it's tray. Ha. Nice."

"You hack it." Quorra was affirming as she saw Sam grinning.

They heard a rolling sound from likely the upper side of the hole. Sam couldn't stay away before a pair of shoes sole hit his belly, kicked him out few meters to the ground. Quorra screamed and tried to help, but a moment she couldn't decide whom she need to help. She was approaching Sam and helped him to sit. Sam was groaning in pain. Damned.

Quorra shocked to see a program lied on the ground. He was the 'thing' that out from the 'port'. She got closer and horrified to see his appearance. Exhausted. Broke, cubes detached from his body like a drying sticky notes. Sick. But it didn't stop her from helping him too. The program was standing in shock. Although he seemed to know this was what will happen to him. Dumbed. The consequence of a inability. He whispered something but his eyes looked to nowhere. Quorra, still held his arms, came nearer to listening. She could feel the warm air of his breath nearby.

"Fight.. Fight.."

Quorra's eyes widened, her heart stopped beating a moment. In her viewing 'frame', she finally awared Sam still in his panting, stared like he realized something in different view of her.

"He's broken?" Quorra was asking to ensured. Sam's eyes didn't moving.

"Addicted."

As Sam said so, the program turned into cubes, falling and crumbling like glass shards. They had nothing to say.

"You can't get in." Sam warned her immediately.

Quorra stroke his cheek, his hair, softly. Sam took her hands, kiss it and a tear fell down touched her hand gently. He remembered his mother. The woman that always gave him a lovely hug and love, as if he was more than everything. Memories of her will never be erased. He didn't want to lost her. Or made her harmed. And though it had happen long time ago, didn't mean that he will let it happened again to Quorra.

"I know, Sam. But Lisa is your family. And my family too. You said things are worth the risk."

Sam was grinning sadly. Sometimes he hated his words. But it was his father told him long ago. Though he was true..

The door opened. Sam just know he only need to touched it. Simple and satisfying for those neon-bloodthirsty programs. He held Quorra's hand tightly. The inside was a deep darkness. He didn't even see any hope in this world. Terrible. Why did The Grid turn into hell?

They're blinded. Sam anesthetized. He didn't know what he was doing, he couldn't order his hand or anything. He just can thinking and the most thing he afraid of was losing Quorra. Felt like dead. was he closing his eyes, or opened it? He had no idea. Maybe he was seeing the darkness, or just close it can made that. Nor even breath.

A light. Shining and bigger, or closer to his view. Slowly he knew he gathered his body again. He didn't expect it's like the sun shines made warm to his skin, but he grateful very much. He stood. His face was brighten. He just wanted to see it from the mirror and told himself it wasn't acting. But then his smile gone. He looked around and he didn't see Quorra, as he realized the place he was standing was a small cage which run towards a light he had seen before. He shouted her name though he knew no answer. But it's worth a try.

He passed the light.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa.."

Sam touched the 'cage' which finally he could see it thoroughly as a capsule. He saw many capsule like the one where he were, out from the hole together, ahead to their community. One capsule stopped on their place, and a hologram of a program was standing in front of them, who clearly was somekind generation of Rinzler. And they looked like more dangerous. Sam regretted for not received the free-boxing-course from Ram, because the old man looked stronger than people may thought. Well, he learned capoeira. But his memories interrupted by the echoed voice. He also realized that his capsule is stopped.

"All combatants, choose your equipment."

"Equipment?" Sam was watching a program beside his capsule, walked to a circle which appeared after the voice. He put his foot on it, then winds shot from the circle. This reminded him with the portal. He took his disc, and seeing the program still confused. He raised his hand, and released the disc. Really worked similarly. This was not The Center. The King must know about this portal, but the Club owner? The secret was for sale?

The wind had gone. The circle had gone. Sam stood back.

Wait.

He wouldn't fight with his disc?

A screen appeared next to him. There's weapon choices as they made him speechless. He more to like this. ' ancient disc. This is better.' he attracted to a shield. It wasn't the same form like the other which covered by glowing lines. This one used to with armor in tales. Carved beautifully in silver plate color. He had no doubt to click that one. But the screen was gone before he could take a gun. This wasn't fair. Well, he couldn't concern it anymore while he saw a hologram bowed his head, and two vortex tactical shotguns made Sam stunned. He thought he heard the echoed voice had spoke about the battle began.

Fuck.

The program pointed his deadly weapon to Sam. Sam's hand moved like held something in the air but he neither ordered that. In confuse he finally could see a shield forming, as his hand was holding it from it's unconcious movement. He heard a click and reflectly held the shield with both of his hand before raining shots hit his shield, forced him to step back and soon he had thrown. He moved the shield in pain for rested himself a moment. My God.

His move must be meaningful for the protector weapon. Sam yet breathed while his body froze, and pushed forcibly to perfect stand which made the shield fell down. He glared the silver petals from the shield erode and they flew, patched to his body made an armor, with helmet covered his head. But he knew this suit him like Ironman. An upgraded armor knight. Very cool.

Sam cared nothing. He ran towards the program who shot him many times but his suit reflective to those glowing bullets and made him laughed. He grabbed both shotgun held by the fake program in a face-to-face moment, and kicked him before took a quick shot while the program still floating in the air, then pointing it brutally to the capsule's wall, and the foundation broke as his disc came from nowhere to his back. Complete. Sam threw the gun, and jumped out from the capsule. He landed on another capsule's top. Looked around as an alarm ringing for his action, and he saw a door up there. Closed tightly. Another secret to be crossed. However, it's middle separated by transparent border where it ahead to another sets of capsule with womans player.

Quorra.

She's there.

Sam took his disc as it turned as sword. He smiled.

Quorra threw her sword to her opponent's chest. She turned into cubes after so long time they spent together. She kneel down. Never against woman kind before. She not mastered the martial arts yet. But for her enemies in the same gender, this must be new. Or, not. They played this fluently. She caught her disc that turned from sword while it flew from a lie position on the derezzed hologram as her eyes widened to see the cubes arranged.

Another battle?

Something happened.

Quorra had no idea what was that. There's crash on her left. And she avoided that. The capsule's flakes removed by her hand as fast and harsh she could do. She was standing to see what happened. Her smile graven when she saw Sam in front of her, stabbed the floor with similar sword like one she used, made it cracked. He took it and put the sword-disc to his back before lent a hand. But his armor surprised her more.

"Get out? I've found another door."

"To a bigger problem?"

No more chance. They wouldn't go to the first rute. Sam had felt the dead sensation enough. He saw those pretty holograms stood still, did nothing.

"She's not so that beautiful." Quorra held his arms and gripped tightly while she forced him towards to the hole.

They ran away.

Not so far from there, a program, in hurry and worry, approached a door, clicking the password so quick and before it completely opened, he forced in.

The inside was pretty dark. There's a light circuit but however couldn't brighten the room and just like a cheap neon lamp. He walked, followed the light which directing like a labyrinth path since they're branching. He seemed to know the way very well. Led to another door. He knocked it, and it opens automatically. The light still poor. Came from collection of weird things in blue glows he never seen before on the displays, protected with glass dome. But either he cared that, anyway. Many things he had to report. He looked for someone as he went through across them. His breath relaxed as he saw figure behind a display.

"Sir. You must see this."

The figure was another program. Wore Renaissance style cloak. Tried to create things from swirling lit dots of his disc on the display. He moved his head a bit. "How urgent?"

The man, servant likely, amazed. The first time he could see how his excellence made miracles. "Two new programs were breaking in."

As he said that, the figure stopped his activity. He was worrying the news.

"Yes."

Both man startled. They saw a small glowing yellow octahedron flew towards the figure. It stopped and floating on the air. Repeated what it said. "Yes!"

"Bit. This is not right." He stared his servant and gave an order. "Get them both. Start examine section."

The 'Bit' turned red in form of great Icosahedron. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

The figure shocked to see that happening. His servant said something unexpected. "The Bit never disagreeing your action, sir."

He put the disc on his back after long pause.

"Let's greet them."

The door opened. No difference so far. But the more they got in, the environment was changing. Two dancers posed an erotic dance on the round stage made Quorra disgusted. Every programs didn't care about their drinks anymore. They danced with beat music and spotlights from disco ball filled the darkness. The bottles weren't the same, and the drinks color wasn't so boring. This was real.

"This isn't make sense." Quorra sat on stool chair. Doing same like Sam. "If they're addicted of fighting, why these crowd exist? Another holograms?"

Sam gave a v sign to the bartender near him. "Coke."

"What is that?" The bartender put a glass. Sam laughed. He was pointing to a green color drink. And he got back to the conversation with Quorra who was watching him. "Just ensure."

"She's not that kind of person, we know that."

The bartender served two glass of green water in front of them. Sam grabbed one and tasted it. Flat. "We don't know, Quorra. This prove doubtful."

"But look around. This have user's touch."

"Or finally they can access our world. It just, why only here? Not the way to make us find her easier. I scared that she's been used by The King to keep silent this programs from spread the issues about The Center. They're next destination is here. And the last."

"Sam. Remember your father? Flynn never able to reach the way out, not because he didn't try. But The Grid is small world, can't move freely. And once he got closer, CLU would get him. That's why she herself, in this confusing condition, may not do many things. Trying to hide, and wait for our improvement. Probably?"

Sam spent his drink. "At least, we shall know."

The bartender showed them a lift. The relief seemed permanent. Sam hated this riddle. Very much. He scratched his hair and crossing hands. Stared Quorra that showed her interest smile. Primitive curiosity. She touched the lift door, as it opened. Simple, but even the genius Sam not willing this journey.

"Sam. Look at this."

Letters and numbers shined and flying to the whole room space in the lift. Sam amazed. Quorra touched one of them. Then she dragged some, tried to make a formula. Sam grinned to her.

"E = mc? You lack a square."

"Right. I forgot that."

Sam looked for a small number around him. He dragged 'two' above and right the mean line of 'c'. He satisfied.

The formula shining. Sam already felt something not good. He grabbed Quorra out from there, but the lift door closed quickly. The formula gone, and the others burst like bubbles. Sam saw themselves glitching. And gone with the light.

Silent.

Sam opened his eyes. This was too much happening. He hugged Quorra deeply. Very happy to not separate anymore. She released him. "Where are we?"

Sam joked. "The Grid."

"How funny."

Sam shocked to see the huge room and they stood in the middle. Stepped on Silk Isfahan rug. The wall covered with Swarovski, gave a sharp-blur effect of their reflection. A stainless steel sofa like awaited the users, but the position backed them. "Aow. First class." Sam goggled on every details. Quorra's jaws dropped.

"Something lost here. Bed."

Quorra stare Sam suspiciously. "Two bed."

"One."

"What?"

"Oh, I thought I said two."

"Sam, I heard,"

"Sst!"

Sam gripped her hand and pulled her closer. With alert-eyes he watched every angle. Then, a small light data codes formed a figure sitting on the sofa. Sam and Quorra directly took a distance.

"This is not good." Said Quorra.

Could it be?

"Identify yourself, program."

That was a man figure. Appeared in glamour sitting position.

Both users said nothing. In their heart, they weren't scared, but tired. The man sighed. "Remain to keep silent. That's the order, I see. Like a robot, but how weird to see you didn't damage anything. Maybe my armor lock you down, program?"

As the man said that, he raised his hands, twisted his index finger, and startlingly armor on Sam's body jerked out, turned back as shield that fell onto carpet. Not enough, he took their disc forcibly, made them shocked seeing the discs flew to the sofa sides, floating. He swung it as its turned into sword, and two spotlights from above highlighted each sword, until back into discs. When the spotlights gone, the disc flew back without order of his hands, so fast to Sam and Quorra's held. They're really worried now. "Good reflect." He said. "Now, if you want to do something, do it. I won't prevent."

Sam and Quorra stared each other in confuse. Sam didn't waste his time. He headed forward, though Quorra couldn't let him went further. "I just want to know about The Center."

The man turned his head slightly, look like a bit surprised, and sat up after it, but stressful for both user behind him. Sam could see that man didn't breath for awhile.

"Sam?"

Sam shocked. That voice!

Woman. Young.

"Lisa?"


	5. Chapter 5

Very quickly, the owner of the voice was already up from her seat as her body likely pressed into thin figure and turned back to see who's in front of her now, and her helmet opened like fan's swish, showing a young face, with black bunned hair. Quorra speechless. Lisa was a very different person than she saw on the photo.

"Lisa! It's you!" Sam shouted excitedly. Both cousins ran after each other and embraced. The girl looked so melancholy, her tears fell a little and slow, she immersed her face into his chest which covered with black petals fabric. Quorra seeing her sympathetically. She watched them wept with emotion. Sam felt so much relieved. Finally this time was come.

Lisa took another long breath before she faced him. "Why you never come? You know how long I had been here?"

"It just.. One day."

"Well.." Lisa pressed her lips, "That's true, however." Then she saw Quorra. "Is that her? The ISO?"

Sam curious. "What do you mean?"

Lisa stared her sofa. Then a yellow octahedron appeared from there, ran towards and got closer to Quorra. She didn't surprise. But greeted the thing happily. "Bit. It always take care us, the ISO. Friend."

The Bit reminded Sam with its small size model on his shelf. When he still dream about The Grid as a child. He knew the thing only said two words. Lisa couldn't gather any information from it. Except that she try with yes-no questions. Seriously.

"You never told who the ISO you brought to the world, and never had a girlfriend before, just that dog."

"Don't blame Marvin."

"I never like him. But I will like your new girlfriend. Instead of different gender which totally changes my view about your fondness."

"I'm not gay." Sam irritated. Neither mom or daughter have same terrible words. "What's all of this? How could you own a Club? And how you'll explain to me about those dancers?"

Lisa grinned. She came nearer to the wall in front of her sofa, and swung her hand into it before it change to be an opened curtain. The view after it was the whole town, but not mentioned The Center. "You don't need to go to Egypt to know how mummy looks. Anyway, I definiting club as place for having fun and sex, which that naturally added by the customer. But, it's pretty difficult however, especially to make that sounds similar here."

Sam looked at her. He understood. "I think you have lot things to retell."

"I'm in, but can't get out. That's all."

Sam was sitting on the sofa, while Quorra stood headed to books on the chocolate shelf and read one, accompanied by the bit. He didn't surprise to hear that, just a little bit upset to know his saving in her house could be hacked by his cutie cousin. But he very curious more about the next story. "What was it looked like at the first time?"

"Like you saw it at the first time."

Sam and Quorra stared Lisa in surprise. "So, this isn't destroyed." Quorra put the book calmly.

Sam stopped many questions in his head. But he knew. He needed to conclude this right away. "Who's in charge now?"

Lisa breathed in doubt before she swung her hand again and the room—or the view that slid to the left, gave Sam and Quorra reflect to hold their body with anything they could and made their heart beating insanely. That just sensation, and Lisa who not moving laughed at them, felt satisfied that her trick can work well.

"Hmm... Clu."

What?

The time stopped for them. Now, the view in fore was The Center.

"Clu still alive." Said Sam in disbelieve, but in fact, he happy to hear that on the other side.

"For program, that's not impossible."

Quorra approached Sam, put her hands on his shoulders and stared Lisa. "What actually going on here?"

Flashback.

"Where am I?"

Lisa seeing around. The room still the same. No. Big mistake to think that. The machines wasn't in the place. And everything are just.. Shined in black and silver. She walked out. No more arcade. But the door she crossed before to get in to his room was small, and this was normal size. She leaned back to the wall.

The Grid.

This was where she was now. And for sure, this must be where her beloved uncle were. This must be already visited by Sam. This was where the ISO, Isomorphic Algorithms, existed. The human half program he mentioned in the interview on tv. She never could force Sam to tell her more about this place, only God knew if this place was in his control.

Whatever that, she must go out and found answer.

"Wow.. Neon lights everywhere.."

Lisa tried to examine. People were walking around. There was people, wearing alike black swimsuit, with glowing trimmed lines in blue color around their body. So The Grid is a world. Why this truth happened? How if someday those people discover bigger world outside? How if tree, later, is fake and have neon flows like everywhere here? Horrifying. But she kept forward, just few steps before some people near her ran and before her reflect ordered her to do same, the road falling down into pitch. Or, they become pitch. And a spotlight directed to her. She could feel steaming heat from a thing that flew upon her, and then it turned down, her mouth gaped in amazement instead of worried because a man approaching her with perfect movement, that couldn't be human. Like others here, but his light colored as red.

Lisa was just.. flabbergasted. The man, well, they all wore helmet and she could merely see their mouths and jaws. He seemingly—with helmet, pointing her eyes with his, and a transparent laser got into her eyes, which a second she thought that she would be jabed and dead.

"Unknown program." The sound of him was just like echoed somehow. He grabbed her arm and forced to see her back. "No disc. Stray." After that, he took her to the plane, and locked her there. Alone.

After faced so many weird things, scary and amazing, she arrived to an airport. There, the plane landed. Be waited by some more man standing ahead. She released, but of course the guards guarded her. They walked forward.

"Stray, sir." Said one of the man. It seemed that in front of them was the commandor, or someone at higher level, she could see it from his orange glowing line different than the others there. He scanned her. Then with no words, he went back and stopped at a point before shouted something.

"User!"

No response. Not from the people around her. But then a huge plane, bigger than this one, very complex thing, landed yet could be said that it only landing in form of float. Then, stairs without parapet descending from the down side of the plane, and from inside, she saw another person walking manly, stepped the stairs just like walk on road. Finally, she could see him thoroughly. He's just another man, wore a long cloak, probably the higher or highest level, because only him that had one flashy light color. Yellow.

"May I know your name?" He asked. Wow. Lisa was very much surprised and grateful that there's someone who spoke like human here and have respect in his words.

"I'm Allison Thatcher."

She could see that man's head moving a little. Then he got closer to her. "Lisa?"

No way.

"How do you know my name? And why you sound like my uncle?"

"Oh my, Lisa! Release her!" Soon after, his helmet that cover his face, automatically opened from it's middle in such way she couldn't tell how, but she was very shock to see his face.

"What the—"

"Lisa. I miss you so much." He hugged her with joy. Lisa still speechless. When they both stared each other, Lisa felt enchanted. "You're so young, uncle Flynn."

It's Flynn.

It's Kevin Flynn.

"Pretty long, right?"

Flynn asking his niece. Lisa can't receive that word. "Pretty long? The last time you see me, I'm a baby. Now I'm twenty three years old. You had been disappeared for such a long time. Very long time." Lisa then remembered what happen since her idolized uncle gone. "Did you know that.. Grandpa and grandma..."

Flynn looked straight ahead. No expressions. "I know."

"Sam told you, right? Why don't you go home with him?"

Flynn surprised. But doubt and worry. "Sam told you everything?"

Lisa shooked her head. "No. We never met since I lived in dorm. But I watched his state about The Grid and the ISO, he mentioned once to me about The Grid. Just he never said anything else. He kept this great story. But.. My questions still the same.."

Lisa can hear relief from her uncle's breath. This was strange, and she just realised to be crazy enough for asking such question. "Forget that. I'm sure both of you have the reason."

Flynn stared her, smiling. Not a natural one.

Since the day, Lisa stay in Flynn's plane. She had her own room that you know will never be offered as room in any hotels because too wide. And Flynn always came to her for accompany. Sometimes her request can be hard to do by him, like comb her hair, or feed her like a real baby, she enjoy that, but her uncle feel weird though he keep doing it to make his niece happy. She had none of his bussiness anyway.

But once that, she opened her door. Go outside. Another door attract her to interupted in.

"Lisa? What are you doing?"

The girl froze. She feel so much guilt and just dying to face her uncle.

"That's fine. You know this room?"

She shooked her head.

"I make weapons here for my created game. I thought it takes for not so long, and I was still young at the time. But it turned out my speculation. It had been years as well as you know how long. Well, I'll go back someday when I'm ready."

"It's not about the game, isn't it?"

Flynn seeing his weapons. None of them were perfect as he wished. "No. I'll finish it before go back."

"You may take other years for that."

"The day may pass, but it doesn't take few hours outside there. Don't worry. Finally I know what I'm doing."

"That's good, then. What if I making you some weapon?"

"You can?"

Lisa smiled back as she always want to be for thanks to her uncle.

"You're making him weapon? So, this upgrades of The Grid inspirated from you. they're going to kill us faster. How fun is that!"

Sam watching Lisa spitefully. Quorra seemed to worry as same as him.

"Perhaps. but the access to outside world was not as easy as you think."

"Yes! I did it! I can create a great one!"

Lisa screamed for joy of herself. She put the disc which had lights from the hidden source. She already made GPS for tracked her uncle in somewhere along the corridor. The way she followed got wider. And when she was close to the door, something annoyed her.

Guards.

And they just heard her step. No longer, they had pointed her with their staff.

"I just wanna pass. I need to meet my uncle. He's inside."

One of the guards scanned her. "No disc-program. Stray in the restricted area. Sentry will get you soon. Follow the command or you will be deadactivated with violence."

Lisa had an idea what to do.

"Stray program! Stay on your position!"

Lisa aready slipped across them. She took something from her pouch. Pistol. Again, in neon lights architecture, but surely a rare new one. However, The Grid had none of smaller gun since first time. She ran and also shot both guards in legs. They fell down, as one of their foots crumbled into cube's pieces. And they're shuted down.

Lisa felt so much worry about this. She couldn't imagine if her beloved uncle furious to her. That was the horrifying event she would ever had. Soon. This had to be fixed. From what she learned from her disc 'props', she found out that she could control some DNA to repair themself from damages. Those damages maybe small like scars, there's even some that she couldn't fix, usually it was feeling, expressions such as anger, sad, or over happiness that would lead somebody into anything that could keep it. That's a disease. From those, she tried to make the guards healed and reboot ten times faster. She also deleted some scenes that would probably became stumbling for next time. Then those programs commanded to walk out of the door so her plan and reason would be perfect.

she hacked the password. And got in. Her eyes looked for her uncle.

"Arrgh!"

A man, sat on the sofa, stood up quickly as the same second he took his disc like ready to fight. Well that's true. But soon he shocked to see his own niece in front of the closed door, in the room, watching from transparent wide glass, battle of every programs, killing each other. He didn't notice it, but relieved and suspicious.

"You had passed my guards?"

Her eyes changed the view quickly perfect. "I saw no guards. But there's in afar, seemed chasing for something."

"And how you got in?"

"Like others. Opened the door."

Flynn walked closer to the battle view. "You should knock first."

Lisa approached him. "Sorry for interrupt. But that can make me see my created weapons."

"They're still weak." He said. "Even to defeat the programs who use only disc. Those could improve. The under level programs, though I gave them weapons, still couldn't think how cost it was."

"If you just wanna test it, use the same level programs. This will never be over."

"I want to," Flynn stared the battle doubtfully. "But I target a point that can make every weak programs to be stronger, or at least, use their brain. They still fight with no confident."

Lisa wanted to give some words. But she held it. She had another opinion for all of this.

"Sorry for make you watching this. Don't believe the effect, well.. That's the part of the gift."

The girl smiling. "How come? This is just game, and they're programs. Everything here can't be real."

Silence.

"But we won't, however. Soon after we finished this, we'll getting bigger, while they're small. Like ant. Smaller."

Flynn tried to grip his hand but shaking whole over it. Lisa, without he notice it, felt scare everytime the program who lost destroyed into cubes. And the screams reminded her to death.

"To finish this, I need to see your new proposal. This time, try to make them better."

Lisa gazed at him in proud. "This time shall be now."

Flynn received her proposal in form of transparent tablet. He slid them as he walked out of the room. The door closed but Lisa still stood in the same position. She kept watching the battle.

"Combatant 5 versus combatant 7."

The echoed woman voice she just always hear made her froze. There's two program, in a second, they're in silence, but next second, the battle begin. A program shot blades from a very big gun, that's her previous weapon. It's hard to make a real thing producing without any ammo. His light powered him and that's why the disc was the most perfect weapon for them. The disc from the program's con collided with the blades, but then glanced to the wall behind him, and before he could turn back or prone, the disc had split him into two parts before it fell as cubes on the fragile hexagonal foothold. The disc flew ahead to its owner.

"Combatant 5, deresolution."

There was bang.

The disc landed harshly. Split in two caused by a big hole line along the broken edge. Its light went out.

"Combatant 7, deresolution by illegal attack."

The program watched himself in startled. He touched a hole in the mid of his stomach. Then a miliseconds passed, he turned as cubes.

"Lisa! What have you done?!"

The door closed behind Flynn. He walked in haste to see what his niece had done. A small gun dropped from her hand, but before that, he saw digital screen and digital eyeglasses turned to her gun like a dead spotlight. He at the time saw how it worked but not really clear. He let that awhile, and checked his niece.

"You're ok?"

Lisa felt dizzy. She grabbed her uncle's arm. Flynn instead, felt compassion. That's weird. Or suppose it be normal? "Lisa?"

"forgive me for damage everything." She took a deep breath and seemed strong again. She got her gun. "Pistol."

"I see." Flynn gave her the proposal. "This is a protector."

"Both are great. If your purpose is to give them ability, at least make them invulnerable. First. and then this little thing will displace the disc's role."

Flynn nodded his head in such tasty cool way. "Perfect. I will try that directly. So tomorrow I may leave you."

"No matter with that. But," Lisa seeing the new battle. "Can I be.. Program?"

Flynn stared her with serious mimic. "What?"

"You know. Like you. Have owned disc. I want it too. While you go, I can make it. Well, surely whenever. Won't be problem."

"Why?"

"To learn more about the programs, and make a better weapon."

That man was thinking awhile. Then he just showed his agreement, but had so much to hidden behind it. He left the girl alone in more and more weird feeling.

"You'll be received by Sirens. Don't angry while they take off your clothes."

"Ha?"

Flynn went with smile. "Goodbye."


	6. Chapter 6

"Since that day, I started to suspicious with him. That was not normal. He's not a cruel. Even if those are programs, just game, why seemed so real, why reminded me to be scared of everytime? Why that could make him forgot you? His own son? Even he still care with me though I'm not a really close relatives. Just.. Nothing."

Quorra sat with her head on Sam's shoulder. He still wait. "Had you tried to find out answer?"

"I won't standing here if I didn't."

"So, what did you do next?" Asked Quorra. Her eyes felt sleepy. But she still enthusiastic.

Lisa smiled, took a closer look to The Center. "Don't you boring?"

Sam, who just bowed his head with rested elbow on both of his thigh, kept silent before he really sure with his guess about the next story. Well, the future wait for them. As he could conclude that Clu had made armies. He must know more. "Better tell me about The Center. Nothing important more than that for now."

Quorra frowned. She thought Sam would still in their desire. "We had not finished the story."

"This is urgent, Quorra. Clu must have prepared himself to across the frontier, and it has opened now. We can't let him out. Can't." He stared Lisa. "You know what to do?"

"He will never pass it."

Sam wondered why. Then Lisa took her disc, let it flowed on the air. And from the disc's middle, a digital screen appear, showed young Sam were played his figurine. The battle of The Grid's figurine. He felt de javu around. Recalled that after he played that, his dad once behind him, and hugged him to tell in cries, his mother passed away. Sam burst into small tears. Quorra was watching in confuse, and Lisa switched her view with sorrow face.

Sam bit his lips, before took a hard breath and gathered his consentration. He was so sad to remember how his mother gone forever while his age couldn't receive it. Memories coming through, but he knew he had a hope. "This is belong to dad."

"Flynn?" Quorra stared both cousins each other in very happy feeling and also doubt a bit percent.

Lisa didn't say anything. The disc back to her automatically. Sam smiled to Quorra who put a big hope in herself. She really couldn't believe this, but blissful surrounded her. "Is it true?"

Sam nodded. He got closer with Quorra to watch The Center. Lightning touched the podium regularly. No longer Sam realised something. But Lisa understood it first. "He is gathering power. The Grid are still grid. We can't always thought it as a world. The connection from anywhere is the way he solve the portal's puzzle."

"But he need your disc. How's dad?"

"Trapped."

Oh my.

Throttle made Sam fearful. Quorra upset to hear that. "How come?"

"He was old. Surely Clu no match with him. I'd seen many truth you might had not after the reintegration."

Sam stared her curiously.

"The reintegration itself have destination. It's a room, but dark. Black. I couldn't see anything, which I know he also did. Suddenly I saw yellow glows, and then uncle's groan resound. It has been my nightmare ever since."

Quorra didn't know about this. But she felt relieved more. She also doubted if a person like Flynn had no plan behind both his action and explanation.

"So Clu got him."

"Before me. The first plan is to hide my secret movement, without purpose, but necessary. He really didn't realise, but for that I had got to make great killer weapons. Am I have another choice?"

Sam felt sad for this, but he knew it's right as well. "Then?"

"Controlling. Every programs around him. I needed an absolute condition."

Quorra smirked in amaze. User's capable of.

Lisa gulped in horror. Her body was full of black sticky-square clothes. A blue neon glow crawled from downside light circle to fill up it's place in her armour. She tried to touch it, but a Sirens hand held her shoulder with no expressions, and another hand took her up as the echoed voice warned her for not out of progress. She learned that this kind of borderline might keep her or other programs to be aimed to the game whether doing violence to the Sirens, but they have rights. Surely that's flexible for those women, and it would be the weakness since they are just different type, not kind. A front-side Sirens brought a blank disc, headed it to her partner, but before the disc attached, closely to the place in her back, she took the risk and turned back in miliseconds, grabbed the disc, while slipped the other hand to a 'guess what' borderline hole, and she connected the disc to her back, just let a small light's bold line filled the disc, and she pulled the hole, then slashed it 360 degrees which not yet gave the self flexibility caused of the shocking move, and the borderline broke into two parts, crashed as glass, tinkle on the floor.

"Very well." Said Lisa. She couldn't believe herself would do those things, but it so much tiring than sat in front of computer for all of time. Meant, good. She was watching the Sirens walking backwards to their place, not faster, but their eyes pointed danger. She put her disc quickly as an electric current's sensation freshen her up. Then, the light completely filled her disc and she used it like she always do. The codes flying, divided into four parts to each of the Sirens's disc, made them surprised in flat mimic. And no longer, even the echoed voice didn't appear.

The guards, every programs she met and would be a problem had been under her control. Her 'unknown' uncle must be furious. But she would do everything to find the answer, maybe also fixed the trouble. And her destination reached, finally. In a large room. The only things she could recognize was just floor and another transparent wide glasses. The view was beautiful. But, she saw it as a place like floating slim stage, and from its center, a light tube straight up to the sky until it covered by dark clouds. She never see such thing. But it would mean something. Important.

Weeks passed, she found nothing and nothing. She cried to her desperation.

Once that, she sat on the floor. She chose random place because nowhere else she could trust. And as her palm rested on that floor, the floor's line behind her glowed. She surprised but delighted more. From it, a screen glass arise, longwise, skewed to the side. It's a monitor. A huge monitor. Higher than her. And she touched it.

"My God!"

The picture appeared was.. Human. Human in computer!

"'The hell?"

Lisa touched it's face, shocked to see that she could get her hand in it like it just water, and the person in front of her was an old man she didn't recognize, but somehow, her feelings to this man was very strong. She could touch his skin and beards, but couldn't move his body. She tried to remind herself where she ever met this man before. Stupid, yes, but she couldn't hold herself to think so. While remembering, she creeped her hand along his brow to his sensual lips. Wait..

She grabbed her disc, take a step back distance from the computer, and as she touched and clicked the disc's middle, a digital screen appear, showing recent memories of her. She paused it, and a pic of a person, tried to be equated with the figure's one in front of her. They're.. In details, same.

That's..

Uncle.

Kevin Flynn.

Real Kevin Flynn!

Lisa almost fell down her disc. But she undo that, if she didn't want to ruin anything. Her tears fell in happiness and sympathy. She tried to examine her real old uncle. So who's that man similar to her uncle? She could conclude that twenty years for human impossibly change nothing. She smiled and promised to herself would get her uncle out of that computer soon.

The progress window under her uncle's foot annoyed her. It was 75% complete, but she had no idea what was that. Well, didn't she study in Cal-Tech to find out this kind of question?

While she was clicking the computer, she saw a cable inside of it behind the progress window, and since she knew she could touch everything inside, she tried to follow the cables by holding it, and upper way, towards to back of Flynn's head. They're connected.

This was downloading. Her fake uncle tried to download the memories of Flynn!

Couldn't be.

"Even if this my last day, no matter. But I will never let him do this."

At the time, it was short before her fake uncle came. Now or never. She ran so fast. Reached everything she need. Most are guns and inactive disc. She made a lot of her fake discs to be filled with programs lightcycle, guns were assembled and turned as a machine, like a mold for disc because the niche almost followed its form. And along there, another cable she'd been created, copied the one behind the progress window, and connecting both. She hacked the signals so they're come to her and made the download complete. She scared to see this, if she failed, the fake man would take it from her, and she didn't know for sure what he would do next. She put her own disc from her back to the machine. Her lightcycle in it moving, crawled along the cables, and it arrived to the window, showed another new window.

Transfer?

She clicked yes from her disc.

Choose one of this file size nominals:

100%

75%

50%

25%

...% (or type yours)

If you want to preview the content of file size you choose, click here.

Lisa clicked 50%. Without preview. And then yes.

She clicked another point. And soon the alert window appeared. Seemed like it was aborted from everything supported it to run.

Half complete! Half complete!

The girl smiled. Ha!

"Lisa?" A man looked for his niece. But she couldn't be found in anywhere. He asked his guards, but no one knew where. He mobilized them to find her for he tried to go to his secret room. He needed to check his downloads.

The man totally shocked.

His niece there. And the place was a mess. Every small pieces of something he didn't know what though he could guess it was crumbled things, spread around, even dust of them filled the air. But more than all of that, made he in high level of wrathful, was how could be his hidden computer with a man he trapped in there, and the downloads.. was it.. Hacked?

"Why?!"

His niece stood in afar, faced to the view of the valley, sea and weird stage with its light tube. Her hands couldn't be seen, hid in front of her. She clearly held something. And soon, her hands shown. One of them holding a disc he didn't notice before in her back. And she turned around. Her face not surprised or scared, even looked like bore and sleepy. He could see she's tired. But of course a smart brain and wicked plan made her presumptuous upset him very much.

"If you want your programs to be confident in battling," she started to state a word he remembered as the moment she first time saw everything about the battle he made. He was betrayed.

The girl put the disc into her back, and while she moved during it, she stated something that gain more anger of him. "Just let them played by User.. Clu."

And a second, she took a leap of faith with inverse position to the sea. The wide glass broken in order he didn't guess before. So that girl passed her fleeing rute like this. The man, called as Clu, ran quickly to reach her before she fell, he culdn't believe he did that, but he did. He watched the girl falling in seconds, and they still stare each other. He saw that the girl had a regret feelings, small percentage, but he also realise, he had it too. And sound of splashed water made his heart beating in craze.

Did she make it?


	7. Chapter 7

"You survive."

Sam stared her in relief. "And you took only half percent of its download so he kept dad instead of destroyed him."

Lisa turned back, looked at him too with hope. Quorra saw nowhere, her face never been serious before. "If he still."

"Don't be pessimist, Quorra. We never hope bad things."

"I do know, but.."

Lisa shook her head. "All of you always thought Clu as a bad guy."

"Have you seen his favorable side?" Sam shouted her in disaffection. He remembered how even Clu was the worst to treat guests and even programs, made horror all the times. "I know he can't be good. He is a perfection-thought-program."

Lisa upheld her position. She had another viewpoint. A logical as she had surveyed it. And she presumed that even Flynn wasn't realised this. "You're wrong." She took her disc and clicked its mid, then a digital screen appear, memories of Kevin Flynn ran through. "He has a good side. Didn't he prevent himself from killed uncle while he had the chance?"

Sam a bit surprised to hear this. Quorra couldn't believe it. "You watch the memories everyday? That happened long time ago while we... You have seen it, right?"

"Quorra, you seemed to be energized." Said Sam. The woman embarassed. He knew that she must be very happy to find out Flynn still alive. No more funeral. "Fine. Tell me why you think he's not a bad guy. I really can't believe that."

"How if every programs is ISO?"

What?

"Impossible." Quorra replied shockingly. Sam laughed in horror. "ISO has their own DNA. Human DNA. Clu is one hundred percent program. His body is fulfilled with data cubes."

Lisa couldn't agree. "What about her? If her hand can be flexible with changes, like growing, you know, why do you think she is human? Why she have blood after out of here? What its effect on real programs? Will they still consist of data cubes? Have uncle ever try it?"

Quorra, slowly with her own logic could understand this. "We come from far away place."

"And you never age."

"Means that we aren't human?"

"No. Your DNA never active when you're in here." Lisa grinned. She took a sat on a chair that just appeared like the way she showed up. "Lets talk about basic. I have a theory. Earth is where The Grid exist. The Grid itself is powered by electric. And electric comes from coal, or long time ago used copper. They come from the earth. Rocks, lands, mountains, growing in the earth. And then trees appeared. Human. Cell. All of it have a connection. That's why they'll be reacting each other in the way we know or not yet. Transmission tower's cables are usually unwrapped. The cables itself transmit electricity. Which means, The Grid we are living now is contained earth's elements. Now, if the air is fulfilled with human cells also everything we can't see, and they're adhered, cover the cables, connect directly to the electricity runs in it, and contact, react, combine maybe, what will happen? Surely they will move with it, and make the cables corrosion along the time, the way how it meet air and unsure inside of it. Then, the cells are brought by the electricity to The Grid which use the transmission tower as power sources. Now, as well as uncle contacted with The Grid, the human cells would find better form of theriselves instead of just single one. And while he made Clu and the other programmed human, those cells would automatically run in his body, and with God Might, they could turn into organs and body system once he out of here too. To their destination."

Sam very interested similarly like Quorra, and he amazed with this kind of theory. "But, how can ISO just appeared like that?"

"Good question." Lisa started to sound like lecturer. "You know browser, right? While you open it, sometimes a virus intervene and the first original browser's tab is followed by many more add-ons tabs. What do you think if Clu was the original tab and the ISO are the add-ons tabs? Uncle is just right. Appear like a flame."

"You're crazy genius." Sam smiled complimentarily. Quorra laughed. "And you're just like Jules Verne."

"No. Her theory remind me with Sherlock Holmes."

"Who is Sherlock Holmes?"

"You haven't read about him yet? Well, you should. After we get out of here, I promise you many of book from every sight of world, and I'll see how you react them. You'll be my observation object."

"My pleasure." Said Quorra winked one of her eye to him naughtily.

Lisa couldn't smile though she tried hard. She spent her years in educated herself. This what it was for. This way how her works paid. It was horrifying in one side, and it once in the same end. Now, even if it had to happen once more, in another beginning, she swore to herself, they, must be saved. The world gonna be better with them. A very unique couple. A vision of her uncle while seeing them together, he knew, and also her, that they're made for each other. She touched her disc unconsciously.

"Lisa?"

The girl snapped out of her reverie. "Yes?"

"Can you control the battling programs down there?" Asked Quorra. Her idea was always good and brave, no much consideration.

Lisa nodded her head. "Sure. Easy peasy."

"We need to take further actions right away. Clu might have finished the downloads.. Well, I wish he didn't yet." Remembered the battle, made Sam curious while they're walking together. "Why you created such battle, anyway? No relation between club and prize ring boxing." He embraced his niece in longing.

"To test if one of his programs that fled had evolved to be more like robots. Stronger, I mean. Most are from The Center. The club's charm can attract them."

"Robots aren't interested." Said he for he would do if he were one of them.

"If they aren't, they're breaking the door. Violence. That's the way I recognize time's advance. At first, I understood that people of The Grid, never loved to be captured and battling. But after I finished my club, our first guest just came and attacked my holograms with his disc. This never happened before. So I conclude that they're felt challenged after out of The Center."

"That isn't a challenge. They're ad.."

Lisa remembered what she had thought before. She took Sam's disc while he reflected to stay away, but she with no words harshly took it from him, as she got her disc and exchanged both. Sam and Quorra didn't understand this, but they knew—maybe—it's not dangerous. However, her action always mean something big.

"What are you doing?"

Tut. Tut.

Above Lisa's shelf, a small lamp shined red light. Repeated in haste. Her face shocked as fast as breath. But before she could react, while Sam and Quorra paid it an attention, an explosion busted in front of them with deafning sound. Lisa immediately clicked her disc's mid in Sam's back, and soon in surprised he could feel the first time effect of having active disc, but he not just felt. He got more than that.

"My God!"

Lisa raised her hand's palm toward a cabinet made it opened by force. And something flew from inside of it, quickly to be grabbed by her before she pointed it to Quorra's belly, the woman received it in confuse and trauma. Then, a hidden door at both side of Sam and Quorra opened by order. She then pushed them to the door and winds near them just like kicked them out before they saw the whole room was white and bright, highlighted by something's spotlight they couldn't recognize. Both were shocking, does this is betrayal?

They couldn't believe it.

Dor!

Lisa tumbled on the floor. She tried to revive herself, but her right's shoulder was shot. Her breath stertorous. She gave up. The spotlight was out, and showed a huge plane, its front dominated with transparent glass, but there's a small hole in the middle, made around it cracked, and a figure stood towards it. His shaking hand held something that pointed ahead to the hole. Lisa could guess it.

"Hi."

That man moved down his hand which she could see it gripped a gun. A small gun. His chest up and down slowly but heavy. His face implied consternation. "So you're here." He said.

She smiled between happiness and surrender.

Then a voice heard. A young man voice.

"Lisa! Out of there!"

Another explodes made hole behind her. And that man took his baton, crashed the glass in front of him while he snapped the baton in two, as it changed to be a plane, small and simple, suited him but fast while it ran to chase the girl who also ran away through the hole and jumped out in the air, fell.

"Lisa!"

Lisa caught something. It was someone's hand. He grabbed her before she almost slipped on the blunt edge of her first step. She was standing on another plane. Pretty big. And she faced him who still focused to the view above. The plane took a distance while the small plane approached them, reached the face to face set.

"Sam. Quorra. What a surprise." Said the man who greeted Lisa first.

Quorra, drove the plane, just willed to go away. She really felt sickened the moment she saw him. However, the plane moved a bit with her emotional she didn't expect before. "Don't run, please. We're not finish our reunion yet."

As he said so, his plane changed its form so quick. Guns grew around it. Not too much, but seemed deadly. And he started to shoot. Lisa patted Sam's shoulder, the man beside her. And Sam reflectly moved his arm, headed to the gun-plane in front of them, and before the first shot touched them, a transparent coat destroyed it as it moved, covered the target of those shots.

"Wow!" Sam whooped to himself. Quorra watched in amazement.

The man laughed. They thought they could face him. He got his special weapon out. A very small than the others, appeared on the four oblique angle. He clicked the button in doubt before the special guns shot. Sam surprised to see the four yellow laser shot the shield brutally as it cracked so fast. "How to make this stronger?" Shouted him to Lisa. Lisa herself stunned. She shook her head.

"This is not good!"

Quorra cried for one of her plane's wing was broken and it's shaky. Sam and Lisa almost fell if Quorra not just drove off from the situation, but the shots had destroyed the protection. And new others pointed at them. It was craze. Sam screamed in pain because his foot was shot. Lisa, depended on his grip, like flying, couldn't say anything. Sam got her up, while he avoided his head from another shot. The trio were watching the shot effect. It was a big hole under Lisa's crotch, in front of Sam, beside Quorra. The hole's edge shedding blue liquid. Sam cursed it, he tried to find a place as he went up. And saw the front scenery. "The Simulation's Sea, Lisa. Get ready." Said he. And gave a sign to Quorra.

"I know. I once dropped."

Sam held his niece hand. And breathed deeply together as he nodded to her anxiously. The plane dove into the sea. It was cold. And really dark.

Sam pointed at the plane's glass to Lisa. Quorra must be stuck in there with so little oxygen existed. He had nothing to use. No lever or somekind. Lisa quickly went to the its cantle, where there's a disc. Still alive. She clicked it and it's activated. The plane which had lost so many power, as she connected it with Sam's disc, had its lights back. The sea water soon like blown made some oxygen room around the plane, and a door opened under them, then they dropped in, and it closed quick. Lisa dashed to the floor before she spewed water just like Sam. Quorra got them. She approached from cockpit, clicking Sam's disc at the same time he getting dry. "I learnt that from Flynn while he introduce me water."

"Great." Sam grinned. He saw Lisa still lied on the floor. Grateful they're alive. He got his body up and laughed. This was crazy adventure, what a sensation. Lisa responded him with long breath. She also got up. Sam and Quorra stared her suddenly in confuse. "Why are you so pale?"

Lisa stared them back, a smile carved on her lips, but she looked held something. She held her left shoulder. Showed her bloody hand then indirectly to them. Frightened them before caught her fallen. Sam, tried to move, but his feet felt splitted. He groaned in pain. Blood dripping down his shoe. Quorra hated those. "Both of you were shot. Oh! Horrible!"

"Help me, mamma. "

The plane was recovering in the water, which seems amphibi to me. Quorra oversaw from the window. Sam, sitting next to sleeping Lisa. She's unconcious. He had no idea what to do because he couldn't cure even himself. He kept rolling the bandage from the torn bed cloth for some place to get wet and red. He attempted to walk like how it should, a bit limp, but no matter. He curious to see the recovered plane, and magnificent things happened in The Grid would always amaze him. The cockpit, while he saw that, reminded him with Quorra. Car and even plane. She learnt so many important things in this little world, dark with only neon glows gave some life, but adapted easily with the real world she dreamed.

"Flynn told me, before this knowledge was given to me, he never thought about anything. Never occurred. What a sincere old man. Though programs isn't humans. Well, I do agree with Lisa. Maybe actually there's no ISO instead. Every program is it, and otherwise."

"Perhaps that's why Clu obsessed with perfections. Humanity."

Quorra considered something. "he's not so that bad, then?"

They startled for heard Lisa's cough. He gave her meaningful gaze. "We'll prove it later."

The plane had come back to its form, while Lisa got her condition worse. Quorra aroused the plane on the ground. "Where will we go now?" Asked Sam. She smiled, having nostalgia of her days she spent and where she used to be. The last thing before sunset in The Grid.

"Go home."


	8. Chapter 8

Quorra turned the plane as baton and snapped it again in car form. Sam who carried Lisa, just received this in necessity. He really didn't like. They browsed every way through mountains to the Outlands. Sam broke the ice. The one thing that made he shocked once before.

"I've seen everything, Quorra."

The woman looked at him awhile. "Everything?"

"Yes. This disc," he took his disc and gripped it tightly. "I see a lot, but it disrupt my mind, I feel heavier. You know, like, when we overeating."

"Compulsive, disorder." Said the woman with entire knowledge she had.

"Duh."

"I understand. The memories of another human shouldn't be yours. It will make you almost perfect with plenty of truth you see, beyond you. Tell me what you see, Sam. Maybe I can makes you feel better."

"Basics. About The Grid. And few things of ironic, happiness, and studies at young. Homesick and waiting, boring, me, you, Clu, Tron, and surely the old Encom with young face of his partner, old Alan. There's mom. She's beautiful. Their marriage, her pregnant, his parents.." Sam breathed heavily. "Everytime I close my eyes, I see it, and that's not mine."

"That's more than a lot. I wonder about the fifty percent mean."

"I know that one. Many things that he didn't really care make questions for me when I trying to answer each, but few of it becomes clear in another viewpoint, though it still not perfect yet."

"Like that protector?"

"Exact." He love her so much for this. "Things that, mostly about battle—I just reveal that the battle wasn't his cup of tea and gave it handled by Tron and Clu—enhanced."

Quorra stayed silent a moment.

"You've got two person's memories! Flynn and Lisa!"

She stared Sam while he had lazyish look to the sky.

"First, I thought she betrayed us, and now?"

They distracted after their arrival with the house had their lights back, brighter than ever. Did Clu have used this place for stay? Sam looked around. But there's no sign of any attack or protection. Trap? Could be. Even so, Lisa couldn't wait as him. They're in pain.

"I wish he not hurt us. She's wounded enough, and I don't want another new victim."

"Maybe Lisa left this place in this kind of condition. She must know where to live. The memories of Flynn."

"Or because Clu approached with staying purpose. To keep an eye on tourists."

"Don't be pessimits, Sam. We never hope bad things."

"Duh."

There's an elevator. Like long time ago. As they're appearing from down side, the light flashed once. Warn—seems to be—for landlord. The light flashed again bright the whole dark room when both Sam and Quorra's first stepped the floor. Someone appeared. They're surprised and relieved because the program in front of them wasn't Clu. And his light was blue. However, Sam knew this face. And then his eyes just peeped on the person that also surprised to see a red-light-program, and standby automatically.

"He chose wrong circuitry light." Quorra explained quickly. The man lose his worries. He hadn't any suspicious face at the time. Made the place felt much safer.

"Who you carrying?" He asked politely. Sam seeing Lisa's lips getting white on his lap.

"She's my friend. Shot."

The man alarmed. Very vague expression. He noticed Sam's foot as well. "You can put her on the sofa. Make yourself at home. I'll take some medical appliances." As he said so, he went to another room. Quorra amazed and wondered. "Medical appliances? For a fighter like him?"

"Everyone here seems similar to me. The one thing we should concern is how a half program like us be cured by 'medical appliances', ha?" Sam commented while he put Lisa on the sofa softly. The man came back.

"Lisa?"

Why everybody know her?

"My warning was too late." The man really uneasy right now. He then got her back, and clicked her disc, a little bit clumsy with it, but soon he couched her, and his hand's palm—after wear rubber gloves, closer to her bleeding shoulder, almost touched. Then, his hand like pulled something which before was just air. But along it then, as the air gets wavy, a bullet covered with yellow neon glow smudged by blood, went out with his hand from her shoulder. Sam saw his terrible foot awhile which had stopped bleeding and no used the bandage anymore. He wanted it too, however. But he surely happy to see one of them can be cured. To many injuries. The man took something from a small white box. A syringe. He injected it to a side near her wound. Then he stitched it, very carefully.

Sam and Quorra had been out of the room across a digital border to the outdoor viewing platform. There's a pool of energy water. Not changed at all. Quorra squatted near it and played the water. Sam got in his legs. He could feel the cold water, but he concerned more to his wound that felt better in the water. He always like to play in the beach with his father. Swim or just watch swallow's bird. Or play ball. When his turn, he would ran away with the ball sometimes, made Flynn chased him along the beach with big laugh. He smiled before saw Quorra. The woman must have nostalgia of her own beautiful memories with Flynn.

"I miss dad."

Quorra's face brighten. "Me too. Usually at this time, we're playing Go. Or he 'knocked the sky' when I read book to accompany. Many fun times we had together."

Both watched the water sadly. "We will get dad soon. I'm sure." Said Sam.

"This is second chance."

"Right. Second chance."

"But not the last in case we lose it."

"That's not sounds good."

Sam gazed the man few feet from his back while he faced a sink in the kitchen. He washed his hand in a very nice way to see, like the way how your mother teach you at night before sleep. Then dried it with wipes. As he threw it to the dust bin, which only contained that paper cloth and bloody gloves, he turned around. "Hi, Sam. Your turn?"

Sam not surprised. Maybe he knew him from Lisa. "You're.. Alan creation. Tron."

"Right. I once an Encom's security computer program. Monitored with him."

"In different place, surely."

"Hm."

'this man never go out from The Grid. And his face damned like young Alan, just lose of that old style hair and glasses.' Sam speculated. "Dad reassigned you in here?"

The man nodded in such elegant and flamboyant way with smile in his 'rock' face.

"And you're Rinzler too?"

"Sorry for the bad memories with me, Sam. I had no idea. Clu didn't kill me. But turned me into a monster."

Sam nodded to himself. Probably Clu wasn't so that bad. Remembered this, reminded him the plan. "Can you take us to The Center?"

"The Center?"

"Aah. Finally."

Tron was sitting with stretched legs on the ground. Flynn drank from a bottle with blue glowing water the program called as energy. He gave it to Tron and he spent it. "Don't you tire, Flynn?"

Flynn looked at the landscape of the city from the cliff's edge.

"Soon, world and The Grid will be companion."

"Ever you take a rest?"

"Oh, when I took my son to bed."

Tron shook his head. "Flynn, how if they don't receive us?"

Flynn looked dreadful.

"No. No way. They can't. Can't, Tron! That's why I make this people like me! Like you!"

"I learnt human, Flynn. You are different. Some people different. But most? How can I see this world, in quarantine? We feel hurt if you kill us, or just cut our finger, then can you tell me they won't do those to know how safe are we?"

Sam got closer to Tron while he saw The Grid's large view. He focused The Center's castle. Few distance on it's top. A light, like diamond, shining blue. Sam seeing back of him, he saw Quorra surrounded Lisa with bedcover.

"The Center." Sam stated to realize the man from reverie.

"It had been since 40 millicycles ago. And since that, he expanded The Grid, I didn't know how he did that, as for a thousand cycles ago he never make far movement. Outlands not reached yet, but close. Now we have four new city. I've learnt the inside of The Center. Just few. I need more people."

"You once inside?"

"But Clu didn't recognize me. Lisa did lots of cheats for that."

"Give it to me. How's it look like?"

"Well, battle. Like usual."

The silence made Sam angry.

"Tron! You know what we should do?!"

"I know. But the whole grid isn't the same anymore. You think we have long time to examine The Center and find your father? He may be in somewhere there, or anywhere. Don't be in haste, please."

"I'm not going to stay here longer." Said he. A second after, he just got it. And should he say yeah?

"Yes, you have. Shall we fight for that?"

"Your duty is protecting user!"

"From their stupid action, yes."

Sam watched Tron in incomprehension. "Why do you speak like dad?"

"I concern things more than him. From first time he showed me Clu, his mimic like wicked and naive. Don't tell me that he doing same in his awareness. That's why I always try to put myself against his decision."

Sam disbelieved this. Tron? He just like a human more than program. Well, both women was right. This craziness was planted in computer's ground. And he worried things as breathed. More—instead of otherwise—even than his father did.

"Fine. I just want to find information, and take dad with us. We can get in with my mistaken light, and Lisa had give me her uncle-disc. The disc give me ways of make and develop The Grid. That come from dad brain. I can now suit the condition."

Quorra suddenly showed up. "And I can intervene spesifics." She stared Sam with a winning smile.

Tron shook his head. Again. Second time in years. "Alright, but you're not yet recovered. You need surgery."

"You call that surgery? A snaps not bad,"

"And the bullet is real."

"He's right, Sam. We have to avenge ourselves. If we lose of time, then we need more ideas."

Sam impressed.

Tron clicked the password in his disc which attached to middle of a door, before took it back . Now Lisa was in the special room for her, and what he did is locking it from outside. They would leave and couldn't guarantee her safety. Tron said this place when he arrived was in a mess. Clu must had been here before. So he might come any minute.

"We must use another way from here, by mountains to the west area. I wish we safe. Or he will go out makes armageddon in your world." Said Tron. Sam just went away without listened to him.

"Come on, Tron. That's love. We have to sacrifice for reach something better."

"Love? Hope? Everything like this I can't believe. You may understand , Quorra. But I don't. You're like them, human, but I just program. And I programmed to protect that kind."

Quorra snapped her baton, imaginating—though Tron's words annoyed her—a plane like she did it while Lisa pushed her out of her room and understood the mean, so she and Sam would alive right now. The plane was bigger, red light, an exact model of Recognizer. Sam clicked his disc towards it, as some fake-holograms-guards appeared in the right position, filled the vacant. His knowledge from the disc was amazing. But, however, it's still the half part. He wouldn't care anyway.

Tron and Quorra put theirselves in the place for prisoners. As their feet were lock, Sam stood in front of them, that's how the new system work, to make his position as recorder for listened any info of the prisoners mouth. Rumors were scattering around. And the plane departing.

"We make virus. I spread it to the south region, the place of Flynn's office and also destination to The Grid, while she kept her notoriety in north, focused The Center's development. So it will be easier for you guys to get in. She must send you a message, right?"

Sam regretted. "I thought The Grid was in my microchip. I transferred it."

"And the power source of the computer is The Grid. Flynn save it permanently from intruders, plagiarism. But yes, the one you take also important. I/O."

"The portal?"

"What's that mean, Tron?" Asked Quorra.

"You can use it as another way in and out. The copy work like so."

What the hell?

"And I save it in my house." Sam remembered marvin barked at him while he unwillingly put the memory in hidden place.

"Then it was safe." Tron stated his sentence with flat face. What a labile character.

Sam trusted it. Quorra rather not. She knew it's easy to get in to his house and stole things. Didn't Sam think about it?

Hopefully,

Everything okay.

Sam watched he himself away from the house. Away from one of his family he only had, which he uncertain of his own survival.

A man, with yellow light stripe in specific place around his body, approached Lisa's room. He took his disc, and put it on the middle of the door. He clicked his, and data in the screen rebooted. Then, the door opened.

He glad to see Lisa asleep on her bed. He sat near her, stroked her hair. She moved in uncomfortable, made the man laugh softly.

The recognizer landing. Sam seeing it from his helmet, the plane's leg land it's foot on a lock. Then their Recognizer forward into The Center, passed a gate. A very huge castle maintained by this four gate with simple but complex dark red light color between another dark metal's wall. Smooth and solid.

They're in. Seemingly.

The plane greetted its friends. It was set to place itself in the left side of the row. And a program with orange lightcycle approached Sam from his place which seemed to wait him.

"This Recognizer is not listed, program."

"We are new. We are listed." Said Sam mimicking robot voice.

"Note this, program," the commandor called a red lightcycle program who had a transparent tablet. "The virus has attacked west gate." As he said it, his assistant typed it down quickly.

"You can pass, recognizer."

Now they would really got in.

"Tron, is there any other surprise inside?"

"Don't worry about that. People got in and out easily, you said."


	9. Chapter 9

"Quorra, it's your time." Tron watched the slid gate in front of them. "Above us, I once see a gap. If you want to run away, find us."

"Be care, Quorra." Sam still sounded like the program, made it odd. Quorra smiled when she went to the plane's top, and caught an angle above the gate. She climbed and Sam gazed her in scare and amazement before she really gone because they across an aisle. He leaned to the one-sided parapet, the previous Quorra's position, and faced Tron.

"Now, tell me, why does woman is received in the battle?"

"That's not battle. It called as Game Grid."

"Well, for me, it just the same."

"Gender shouldn't be any problem, then."

"I've never seen such before."

Tron smirked. "You know what happen in The Grid? Lisa told me yours was an instant synchronization's disc. Mostly are memories inside, but you still don't understand."

"I do. But it burden me. I won't force myself."

"You're going to need that. The enemies wanted The Grid's technology before you born—instead of Clu, were in the real world. Alive or dead, their aspiration never goes out."

"Desire?"

"Obvious."

"You're lucky still alive to tell me this, as my allies. Dad always enjoyed to tell about you, and Clu, that you both were his best friend. How lovely."

"You have no idea."

"You mean, survived from sank? How did you meet that bookworm, ha?"

"When I saw the portal was opened, it's my duty to protect the user. As long as they're not threat."

"Funny, imagine if that was a janitor, for example."

Tron face tighten. "Did you say janitor?"

Sam laughed. "You don't think that, right? Why does those people even exist in that abandoned area?"

"That girl told me, she once met a janitor outside the arcade. On the street."

Sam surprised. "Really?"

"Oh, good guy. Every perspective, Sam. Remember that always. This is Flynn's kind of mistake."

Sam felt thunderstruck. Something passed his mind. Tron immediately pushed him to go back to his place since he saw another gate slid.

"Hey, young man, just hope that's not necessarry. Be focus or we will dead."

"You.. have no idea."

The arena didn't change much. It just, gender, probably, made new color in the battle. And they're seemingly didn't do the armoury. But.. He realised where Lisa's story took place. Guns—no roses—dominated most programs. Some still used their disc, then her weapons not so that good or they're smart enough. Well, the ability, charateristic of them put interest in Sam's mind.

"I finally understand why they could pass The Center's battle easily..I mean game, well, their strainer is no more."

Sam grabbed Tron's arm, put him in a compartments for every programs before the game started. Finished the formality, Sam sneaked in. Sometimes he met the sentries along the way, but nothing seemed valuable. When he heard the people screamed out loud, stole a glance curiously about how Tron fought without his amazing skill, well, it's very convincing. If Clu watched this too, Sam vowed he would give an applause. Sam looked for the program's command ship, and soon got closer. A very long and bended corridor obeyed by him without disturbed other guards. Ended, two black guard stood beside a door. This one should belong to Clu. Sam made some noises until one of them as he expected, approached. Their expression might be closed by helmets, but his body languange told Sam he was confused.

"I'm sorry." Said Sam before he derezzed the black guard. He forgot those cubes and persistent disc made raucousness but surprisingly, they're gone in the air. That was good though he didn't know why it happened.

"I got to force myself." He held his disc and closed his eyes, tried to use his father memories about made programs and also guards. He's lucky for one 'tutorial video' appearing and guided him to use his disc and changed his appearances as black guard.

He walked and placed himself without raised suspicious from his 'partner'. Waiting was the hardest part. He spent time recollect few things that consisted of memories about his father creations. Tron was not one of the programs, they also often had conflict before Clu existed. So Tron that gave idea to Flynn for had a rest and there's he realised an exact copy of him must be made. However, the purpose of making Clu was the opposite result of what he got. Clu always need permission before made progress in The Grid, God knew how long it could be in here while , let's say, Flynn was outside there took care of his child. And also a warning from Tron about Clu's perfection not went along with the ISO's before his coup.

"Relax, bring him to me."

Sam aghast to hear the heavy sound of a man inside, but not as heavy as Clu. And he felt this one familiar. Soon after questioned himself, he saw Tron herded by two sentries to inside. Sam loathed himself not in his position so he could know everything than just standing here. But what happened?

Something had to be done. Just before Sam derezzed the black guard, another noise from the other side of the corridor interested his target. He later heard, vaguely, a fight. He didn't hear anything after, and suddenly a woman figure held a disc faced him from there.

"Quorra! It's me, Sam!"

"Sam!"

"Sst!"

Quorra approached him in worries. "I saw Tron."

"I heard the order. He made too much attention."

"Actually, I were asking him if you're near. In codes, of course. I knew he hardly try, and it made him caught."

"You found something?"

She nodded her head proudly. "I guess the room where Flynn.."

"Let's go!" Sam interrupted.

"What about the guards? If he save from them, this gonna ruin everything. Clu is unpredictable program."

"I don't think he is Clu."

"Well, if he stronger to derezz Tron?"

"Okay." Sam took his disc and forced himself to think again. The past black guards weren't red. But he might use the technique to form a fake circuitry light like what happened to him. After clicked his disc to make holograms of black guards—which he just 'remembered' the ability of what Lisa had plant inside, he also turned Quorra into a woman sentry.

"This is never exist."

"Our plan is to improve."

Though it's weird, they made it to the first floor that neglected. It's easy to come here, because the place just expanse of floor. Nothing could attract anyone for had a visit. This place was the exactly what was described by Lisa.

"The computer.. Must be somewhere here.."

"Did Flynn left something in your memory?"

"Well, the computer should be used by him to make Clu. Maybe.."

Sam walked to the middle of the room. He squatted on there, clicked the floor, and the floor glew, rose a screen glass skewed aside. Quorra stunned. "She said, touch it."

Sam against his fast heart beat. But they're surprised to see nothing displayed though Sam kept clicking the jelly computer in anger.

"Sam. Hold yourself."

"We're here for this? Nothing?"

Quorra smiled to him, made the young man confused. "You forgot something, Sam." She got her hand inside the computer, but Sam didn't see her hand across the backside of the computer. It's gone.

"Shall we get in?" Asked Quorra.

"Why not?"

Sam did it. Quorra's after him. The 'door' closed quickly made them just decided to enter the black hole.

"We're trapped!"

Their circuitry lit them up. But the dark just like close your eyes forever. They didn't know where to go. But if Flynn ever be in here long time ago, they had a chance. As they walking through, a small light showed, even bigger. It's blue light. They walked hand in hand.

The light weren't just light. It's come from a coffin. Because they saw someone inside of it from the transparent lid. Slept or dead, seemingly in peace.

Clu.

"What happen to him?" Asked Sam drew nearer.

"Maybe the new ruler in the command ship had defeated him."

"I hope Tron was okay. Instead of us, trapped here with a dead program."

Quorra stared him. "At least I'm not alone."

"Neither me."

They didn't aware someone who quite alive, stood behind the coffin, very happy to see both of them. His lips shook, he wanted to say something, but emotion surrounded him.

"S-Sam?"

Tron carried to the place where he as Rinzler, he was the guard herded Sam. So this was how it's felt like. A sofa greetted him. He had no idea who's sitting there, wasn't Clu, his hair was brown, and he sat lazyish. Soon he heard the man chewed something. When the figure's face discovered, he recognized him as user.

"Greetings, program."

Tron just as silent as he always be. The man laughed, he took a popcorn and ate it. Sometimes he moved his glasses.

"What's your name?"

"Zers."

"Weird. Like everyone here. Boring. Know what? I'm going to modernize all of you, so prepare."

The assistant near him interrupted the man. "Sir.."

"Shut up. I know what I do. But fine.. Now, program, why you pretend to be fool? Are you playing me?"

"This is game. And I'm not playing strangers."

The man face unfriendly anymore. "You dare?"

"Program isn't human. But we have a self-esteem."

The user sprang out of his sofa, startled, and the popcorns fell as he rushed to move back, spread around on the floor made Tron quickly took his dual discs and attacked the guards. He didn't notice the user.

"Argh!"

Tron stood still, grabbed his left arm tightly in pain. He was shot. But that's not what he worrying. He stared his hand, a red liquid traced. He looked for who shot him, and the user, serious, modest, knowledgeable, couldn't seen sly but his smile told everything, stood as well with proud and power, he held a gun with performance of digital screen and digital black eyeglasses to aim target that similar to Lisa's creation.

Tron fell down, he felt his whole body burned.

"What a pity, I'm going to use him as our primary enforcer." The user threw the gun to his assistant who caught it like a hot potato. Two guards dragged Tron away.

"He will never willing to,"

The user turned around as he saw an old man wore white tuxedo approached him. Every programs in there bowed down to greet. 'The King' they called him. Young user tilted his head in curious.

"Who is he?"

The old man walked to the large view where he could see the battle.

"Tron."


	10. Chapter 10

"Dad?"

Sam speechless. He walked towards his father to ensure, and just hugged him. Quorra still stood, avoided herself from crying. But she hugged the old man at last. They knew the reunion would happen. It's called as justice.

"Where's your disc?" Quorra stroked his back.

"Somewhere here, but connected with me. Like ghost." He said that with a big grin. "No, we won't talking about that, you shouldn't be here. Huh, finally you are. The Center is dangerous, you know that, everyone knows it, why don't you listen? Sentry? Hmm, pretty smart, though."

"I don't think we have a choice. Let me guess, dad. Is this reintegration room?"

"Right. Lisa told you?"

Sam surprised. "How do you..? And why him.. Everything is not as clear as we know."

"Nah, that's why I'm impressed."

Flynn swung his hand to the floor, and both Sam and Quorra cried shockingly where under their feet, embozed rows of programs lying filled the whole room which maybe as wide as The Grid. But there's still be levels down the surface's programs.

Quorra stayed away from step on them, but she stumbled by another box behind her, hidden in the darkness. Flynn catched her.

"What is this?"

"Another surprise. But we can wait for that." Flynn embraced his son in more friendly like nothing happen. "Where shall I start?"

"Maybe you can tells us why he is here, and if you're controlling him," Sam took a sigh, "Are you behind this all?"

The atmosphere getting tense.

"Yes."

What?

"Flynn? Tell me it wasn't true." Quorra gripped his hand really tight. He shook his head.

"Explain." Sam sputtered angrily.

"I'm trying to save you!" Flynn's face was completely mad. "This is the plan."

"I don't understand."

Flynn swung his hand again, and the programs displayed like mass graves, turned back as floor. He walked through the darkness. "Open the box."

Quorra—nothing to scared anymore, walked quickly in curious. They opened it together, and their eyes wide-open to see who was in there.

Lisa.

Her black hair straggled, the suit still the same one, white pajamas. But her wound much better than the last time they saw it. She's not dead. Just slept. They just realised there's hole on the side of the box for air circulation which invisible in the dark. But as the box opened, the neon glow inside switched on so we can clearly see everything there.

Quorra lowered her voice. "Maybe he want us go to the safehouse, and after we left her, he took her without any other fight. She's getting better, anyway."

Sam tried to receive that. But he knew, or didn't that his father could be so cruel. And what purpose behind?

Flynn approached them and stared the girl.

"This place I've made, no one knows. Nor Clu or Tron. I call this reintegration room. They only know reintegration are used to destroy them. This place, is the source, of The Grid. I create everything here."

Flynn stepped once, clicked on the floor, and then a somewhat podium appeared. He clicked on the computer inside of it. And just a moment, the black room became the safehouse's living room. White, bright, safe. It just the two box right behind the chairs pretty annoying. The podium itself more likely a decoration.

"Have a seat." Said the old man smiling.

"So, you're never come here?" Sam touched the chair. It's real.

"Too dangerous. Clu always chase me. However, the reintegration needs lot of energy. It's also, not easy to get out, in other means, impossible."

"But he did."

"Yes, before."

"Before..?"

"Before it locked out. Now it is. Permanently. I had designed it for jail, and it used for me too, now. I'm really sorry. Clu locked it and couldn't open it no more either, put me—numb—in the door so he could take his complete download without really got in. And built the similar Grid. Just after Lisa ruined it, I saw him, I saw him did that. Amazing how people change, Sam. And I could feel he's not pretending."

The guest waited.

"He released me." Flynn stared another coffin before continued. "He was sorry because couldn't get me out. He wanted to download the disc, but not for him. Remembered how life could be so long in here, and she just spent her future in vain, so he wanted to give it to her."

Ha?

Sam's mouth gaped. Quorra's eyes goggled in horror. Flynn's smirk never so horrifying ever. There's a long pause in here.

"He's your image." Said Sam finally with his shivered smile.

"Just face, Sam. My feelings, is not in him. He has his own. This is program I make, my son, I want they have their own name, history."

"You mean, they're potential to be human?" Quorra remembered Lisa's word. Sam had similar opinion.

Flynn raised from his chair, went to behind them, to the coffin where Clu with unknown status of life lied so good.

"He was alive. But so weak. Critical." Said Flynn while he put his hand on the glass lid. He stared the young couple glanced confusely at him. The old man chuckled misteriously.

"Old trick, kids."

He opened it. Sam and Quorra closed their eyes in shock after saw it.

Wearing same white pajamas like Lisa, if it was Clu, well, a very unexpected condition. He was, very old. Maybe hundred years. Couldn't stand the wrinkles. Nothing would help for this. He's a grannie witch now. But it proved something.

"The end of a handsome." Sam concluded sadly.

"But who we met, then?"

"Hologram." Flynn showed them, Clu held a tiny cube with a button. "When he need to use it, just one click, and he will getting younger."

"Very young. What price for what stuff? Nothing."

"As far as now, this is the only thing I can do."

"So, every of our move is part of your plan."

"Have to. Except how both of you arrive here, I don't monitoring as we concern of move her in."

"But what happened to him, was when this idea came up?"

"Right."

"We want to know, Mr. Storyteller."

"At first, you know who we were against?"

Sam shook his head. He's not daring to reveal his thoughts.

"The older ENCOM CEO before me. And son."

Sam choked up. "Dillingers?" His teeth chattered. "I knew it."

"Well, after Lisa went away, and since Clu wasn't the villain anymore—how nice, he treated me, attempted to use circuitry color free for everyone but disguised way to prevent another coup because sudden change usually gives bad result. And I just stayed, tried to find way out. Kept track and watched what Lisa did in The Grid. She learnt from my disc how to make things, and I learnt from her how to make a hologram. Clu and me shared, and one day, then, after I calculated the time cycle between when Lisa assumed to arrive, and the portal's closed timing, it's late. Clu warned me to hide inside without making too much attention and deleted his disc memories about Lisa and everything after. Then, it just like that, he was thrown in. He told me that he was injected."

"Injected?"

"With four blood types."

No way.

"How? The Dillingers did that?"

"Junior. In action, I think he was more possible."

"We going to die if it happen to us."

"Yes, lucky for him. His cells—whatever it—probably got him only aging."

"Neither good. Will never be good."

"That's why you three.. Oh my God!"

One person's missing.

"Where's Tron? Is he fine?"

Oh no.

"Captured. He will get aging too!" Quorra closed her face in sorrow.

"I'm not sure. According to Lisa's program-cell-theory, because Tron wasn't made here,"

"Maybe he will fine. Better than him which made in haste. Maybe with not so much understanding too," Sam tilted his head back to the sleeping old Clu. Flynn felt something wrong with his son since first time he made sentence like accusing. Quorra glanced at the young man unfriendly.

"Then we suppose to be calm." He put both hands on the armchairs. Didn't want to made this atmosphere last longer. "They made The Center, so did Lisa make her club, had not known the truth, and the our new good programs turned back into sentries. I made Clu's hologram, in purpose of stopping you from came here."

"By shot us?"

Flynn stared them confusely. "I've never shot you."

"Clu did it." Quorra shouted out in tense. But she herself wanted to deny the real suspect.

"Absolutely not. I watched what he do."

"See? He's not as good as you think." Sam showed his wounded foot. Flynn saw it but shook his head. He later stared each of his guest. His eyeballs rolling, thought hardly.

"Sam, Quorra, remove your disc."

The couple stared each other. But they did it.

"Now see."

They watched his foot. And, right, he had no wound. Sam didn't feel pain. He turned around to check Lisa's wound, but his view caught another bigger difference.

Clu's circuitry light.

Blue.

"I swear I.."

Flynn was not in his chair anymore. He was typing in his computer seriously. Quorra stood beside Sam, blinked her eyes in awe.

"I understand now." Quorra still gazed at Clu, as his blue light color made him looked so much like Flynn. But the old man never use program's suit. Pretty rare scenery.

"This is not good." Said the old man.

Quorra held her forehead. "What is it? This not good things drive me nuts."

"Still like 82's. Interrupt my computer, want to take over. Spread a hallucination to every programs, users, even holograms. To their disc. But I'm not wearing mine. For Clu, what he is, see and do sometimes the opposite one with his hologram, I didn't know this error happened. Not thoroughly, however. They deceive me this time. But not find out our location yet. At least. I'll give both of you other discs."

Sam quirked his eyebrows as his father raved with his computer.

"Why, dad, can't I help you hacking some? This gone too far." Sam cranky as he came after his father.

Flynn gave a serious look. His son shook his head and laugh. "I'm the ENCOM's CEO, too! Computer is my food. That's why I could get into The Grid."

The old man gave his son a challenging smile then. He swung his hand, and beside his computer, raised another similar one.

"I wait you said that."

Sam very aware of what he had to do. Flynn didn't know his capability, but this was more than he could expect. Good thing she gave him the half and half disc.

"I'll clean the virus."

Flynn stopped his hand. "No. Not this time."

Sam got his eyes back to the screen as he tilted his head, grinned. His last idea in The Grid was really bad ever.

"You're the senior."

Kevin Flynn tried to explain again, Sam knew the old man too long in loneliness. And he missed how his father loved to share with him. "The sentries still red, then they don't believe in user, and both Dillingers should do with their viruses to make those think the contrary. We have to keep that. Or if we have get their conciousness, the users won't use their viruses, and still take their control."

"But we five against two."

Sam took Clu in the human equation. Except for Tron.

"Before we know their plan, protect ourselves well from this kind of things, I can't make sure that we can defeat their influence."

Quorra sat on the box's side panel, watching Lisa slept. The debate made her sleepy too.

"Hey! She's awake!"

Still close her eyes, like missed for sleep in years. She took a deep breath. And the room's shine dazzled her lazy eyes.

"Sam? Quorra? And.."

Flynn got closer. "Hello, niece."

She's glancing to the figure. "Kevin Flynn.. Uncle.. Flynn?"

"Yes. Uncle Flynn. Don't be in doubt."

Her chuckle sounded beautiful. But when she looked to her right, squealed like jabbed.

"Oh!"

Flynn quickly closed the lid as the image of old Clu gradated with the youth one. The girl's face was not happy anymore.

"Read this, so you'll understand." Flynn gave his disc to her. She fiddling it like she used to. Next moments, she returned it to him, also removed her disc. Pretty hard before started to speak, but professional's surrounded her.

"'Mass-energy equivalence'? It only works in The Grid."

"Yes. It is."

Lisa stared her uncle. "Fine. I need some equipment. Never understand about this place."

"I believe you're a fast learner."

"Glad to hear that. Anyway, your disc are wonderful."

Sam looked his father before he did the same after a thanks.

They worked as fast as they could, and the safehouse display turned as computer station. Lisa decided to make Sam and Quorra's hologram for saving Tron. Since the mass-energy equivalence could be used for them to get out, this became top priority.

Flynn made two other boxes. Sam and Quorra lied there. They wore a different helmet for connected them with their holograms, and couldn't be seen by anyone else instead of this group. However, since they were sentry, they had their own. Flynn and Lisa nodded each other before closed the box and switched on the mode.

Two floor glowed outside the reintegration room. On it, grew cubes forming shoes, body, hand, head of a woman and man. They looked at theirselves, amazed.

"We're out from there." Said Quorra. They clicked the black hidden button on the side of their 'hidden' helmets for comunicated with the main programmers. "Can hear us?"

"Switch it off, you don't need it yet." A deafen girl's voice heard.

"Not bad. Let's go."

They just walked when sound of footsteps reverbed the whole room. He grabbed Quorra's hand and quickly pulled her to the dark edge of the room. Sam switched off his and her light.

"We shall go back!" Quorra whispered and a half shout.

"No. I wanna see."

"But,"

Sam put his finger on her lips. They're glancing to the convoy of red programs. They saw Tron in the middle as prisoners. Sam quickly used the little button again. "Tron head to the jail. With friends."

He could feel the panic there.

But Kevin Flynn was no match for this.

Another footstep, single, cocky, noisy, walked through the floor. Sam, not surprised to see Edward, but he didn't like their reversing position this way.

Edward, the young bad user, clicked on a floor tile, and then just appeared skewing screen glass, he clicked on it.

"Hi, Clu."

Sam and Quorra took a relief breath.

"What you want?" Asked the yellow light program. He posed himself sat on the floor, leaned to the wall, Flynn made the dark room look very small with him the only living program.

"Where's the computer?"

Their eyes met, showed each other hatred. Clu smiled.

"Nowhere."

"You should be dead."

"I'm not yet, amateur."

Edward growled. Ordered his guards before they threw Tron inside. Clu caught him. Tron's face seemed so much in pain. Really looked like a modern Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley. Just not in right condition.

"I dissappoint." Said Edward while he took a grenade, and adhered it to the computer's wall room. Clu stared his mocking smile before the computer slid down to the ground.

No.


	11. Chapter 11

Sam and Quorra felt someone's hand slapped their mouth. They knew this guy wanted to prevent the worst if they scream out loud and ruined everything. But Sam didn't care. He's just going to push the man while his strong elbow beaten his tummy until he was hit to the wall, precisely with the explode sound. Though nothing they can see, it froze their heart. Edward smiled with so much satisfy.

Quorra's kneel down, Sam reached her. Just after Edward and his guards out of view, they rushed to the computer, let their 'savior' stood in the darkness watching. They're clicking the floor, but didn't glow.

"Stop that, you two!"

They looked at the man who saved them, but it was not a thanks he might receive.

Clu.

"They're safe. Kevin Flynn create the bomb and he can't disable it? Look, I'm fine."

"I don't care with you." Said Sam. But he believed his words, somehow.

Quorra examined the floor. She didn't see any damage effect. "It's exploding."

"You happy if they died? It was just sound effect. He closed that way so they wouldn't disturb us anymore. Should I explain those things?"

"What about Tron?"

"Blood shot. First trauma. But he didn't aging."

Thank God.

"Now he is here, better help them."

"Yes, Mr. Clu."

"I mean it."

Clu observed the couple before left them with his wondering expressions.

Quorra stared Sam. This was not him. He loved adventure. "We go back? Tron has been found."

"Of course.. Not." Sam smirked. "He was supervised by that little ass family. You see how worse our misunderstand to dad? This people isn't joking around."

"What is that 'ass'? I heard this word before."

"Was I said that?" Sam showed his innocent face. He knew how religious and polite he was since Quorra introduced to the new world. It just, he couldn't hold himself sometimes. "Forget it."

"And the explosion?"

"Real bad guys never think their goals. Let's just think they know he's not dead yet."

"Where's he going, then?"

"Take a revenge, maybe. His super fast old age in days—but his 'friend' luckier, humanity will turn him stress. Just kidding. Dad must have some quest for his new lad. Let's go. We do in our way. Don't tell anyone, who knows we are tapped, right?"

Sam took Quorra out there. She had no idea why the duo programmers didn't ask, but surely they busy with the technology or took care the sick warrior. Since Clu didn't show his concerns, and experienced, everything should be okay. They sniggling in a corridor, Quorra didn't know what Sam planed about, he never likes to describe, but she happily did anything together with him, though it would be dangerous. Sam passes T-junction, when he turned around to check his girlfriend, but Quorra still in the separated way, stroked her head to the other corridor.

"What?" Sam looked at the same way.

"Sentries queue?"

Now that's just weird.

"Cool. Look how stupid they are. What is it for? Hot dog?"

"I wonder. Turn me into medic, Sam. They wont suspicious. But," Quorra looked at him in guilt for interrupting his plan, "Is it fine?"

"Yeah, maybe we can find something useful there."

Sam clicked her disc, changed her as a medic that generally have green circuitry light. They walked together to the crowd. He almost laughed for seeing this ridiculousness.

"Ah, finally! We run out workers."

A woman, medic too, grabbed Quorra's hand and took her to the inside where the cause of this just happenned. When Sam tried to get behind the row, he saw fear in those sentries faces. The front one even stepped back gradually, with the others followed behind. Sam stood in front of him as he shook his head for their cowardness, and later heard relieves. No use to regret. But better than waiting.

Quorra's face appeared. She very happy to see Sam as her first patient and took him inside, telling that nothing to scare inside. Not for human.

He never sees green light as many as this before.

Another medic taught Quorra something. They held each other disc and started to discover the digital DNA form. Medic are used to fix those for broken programs. After the woman left her, Quorra walked to Sam. He was watching around.

"Hey, Sam, what's your blood type? I need to find a right type from identity disc, but we know yours is disordered."

Sam still dazed. Quorra looked to where he was. She was smiling.

It was sentries, half naked. And blood injected to those men's arms with some kind of 'The Grid' syringe. It's like a gun with four horizontal barrel. When one of the bullet—a very long one—which have needle on it's tip clogged to their 'fat', they groaning in pain. The medics looked fluent using the syringe, but there's confusement in their eyes.

"Quorra, it can't happen to me. I'm not a program."

She chuckled. "This is what you afraid of? I had been injected and my blood drawn for many times. This one maybe pretty weird, but it just the same."

Sam gripped his arms nervously.

"Your blood type first, Sam." Quorra clicked on his disc as his body turned naked, but still wear a pants. White pants alike in the hospital. He had never been there. Or at least, being injected.

"No!"

"Don't childish. We aren't even real. This won't affect anything."

"Then why we do this?"

"Small sacrifice for science? No, honestly, we need to get out in a good way."

"Oh, darn." He took a deep breath. "I'm AB."

Quorra clicked a button beside AB barrel. The green lamp turned red then it's ready to use. She needed to distract him from the injection site by singing, turn on tv, or asking questions. She didn't like the first idea and the second is impossible.

"Sam," a rubbing alcohol poured to gauze to clean the site area. "We saw many programs turned like robots outside there, and here, they're planned to be human. What do you think about that?"

She waited his answer. And while he was thinking, the needle stabbed his arm like thorn. Fast and hurt.

"Argh! Shit!"

"I think," Sam saw the horrible small dangerous thing pulled itself liquid to his body, panting. "There's two different opinions between them. Like always."

Suddenly the bloods dripped down his elbow. They were panic. Quorra took a lot of gauze and wiped it out.

"Wow.. hèhèh.. Weird ya?"

"I still feel the pain."

"No joking, Sam." She meant back to the right conversation. "Well, if they are, isn't it something?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"What you mean that?"

Sam pinched her cheek with his left hand. "You're so adorable. Listen, before we discover their plan, we're dead already. Stop follows that thought. Out of The Grid is enough. They will stuck in here and easier for us to get them from outside."

"You still believe that old plan."

Their discussion cut by another medic shouted to them, with a scared sentry seeing around. "It's his turn now."

Sam suddenly fell himself onto Quorra's arms. She understood.

"This one broken. I'll bring him. Replace me awhile."

The medic man exhausted. "Huh, fine."

Quorra supportted him to walk, still half naked, out of the room, passed the sentries rows to scare them unaccidentally. They laughed as he turned back into sentry after far from those. She called Lisa, told her how to fix the wrong blood type of program. But she knew Sam didn't listen. A small window attracted him to take a look.

"What is it?"

"I was just thought about how we get to my plan. Going downtown."

He pointed the view.

Light Jet game.

Now, they were a regular red programs, because that circuitry color was dominant in the audience seats. Those reds now really bullying blue circuitry programs to ride Light Jet and made crush if they couldn't do. The man they spoke with at first time arrived in this new grid was right. The Center wasn't the place you've ever wanted to visit. That's also why south people didn't like red programs walked around their zone. Lucky for them who survived out here, Lisa's virus was strong, made this reds broken, against their robotic moves, and the south could explode lots of Recognizers.

"What next?" Quorra asked as she stared the game enthusiastically. Didn't like the bullying, but loved the planes.

"Divert the attention."

Sam and Quorra took a seat to the closest view of the battle. He took out a baton. And clicked his disc.

"Sam, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. There's no good way."

Clu interrupted a room after immobilized four black guards—he wouldn't derrezz them though Flynn made it easier by losing the 'victims' before they touched the floor and made crumbling noises, wherefore he still need them alive, there must be no one inside, and seemingly left for few hours before because he knew they had been long time standing there, seen from their boring face and—the new version of elite guard—gossiping. He would repair them later.

The room was a computer station, but many more monitors, showing every place at The Center. And a private computer. That's what he sought for. This system was something new, but Kevin Flynn's talent had gone through with him.

"First, stop control me."

He typed a killer code to disable an illegal signal ruined his head 'antenna'.

"Second.. The virus."

Though he was old and lied in 'coffin', he could hear everything between the users as long as he didn't put whole focus as hologram. And, they're not in the right directions if they're a really smart human.

He found a list of viruses. Most are failed. Written there; defeated. Lisa must be who they're against. And one virus—marked as winner—that known, but actually, ignored, was bold on it's tittle. And the description was interestingly bad.

Flynn first experiment hologram just stole a blood bag for old Clu. They had discovered his blood type and with the right help of it, he could get younger slowly. Both Clu and Tron lied on the different bed. Lisa sat on Clu's bed, but she was headed to Tron.

"You wont find it."

Lisa closed Tron identity disc database. She had been following every step that Quorra had given to find the right blood type of this program. But nothing to find.

"Tron is a pure program, Lisa. Let me do it myself." Flynn removed his earphone and switched off from the computers. They put Tron's disc back to it's slot. He brought Lisa's disc, stretched the wounded patient's arm, and cut it.

The arm derrezed.

Flynn returned her disc as he saw his niece's face in horror.

"Sorry for the violence." Said he while Tron disc was taken again. And he did repair.

They were watching the arms formed again.

"A pure program? Why didn't you tell me at first?"

"That was an assumption, and now it's proven. Tron made by Alan. And I moved him here. Before this grid was made, he was exist first, as my experiment. So I called this area—surface—as Tron System. My inspiration, a special program with many things surprising he showed me over time. But there's some basic weakness, maybe because the balance between him and programs. I formed Clu, and those based on him. He looked so much perfect, and I made Clu even stronger."

"But if he special, why you could measure his strength?"

"That's not in the equation. I put Game Grid on his hand, learnt some of his faults, and fixed it in Clu's form."

"You never change him, then."

"If you upgrade a helicopter, will you change it's basic design?"

"So your version is better than him? Clu?"

"Yeah.. I wont touch people creation, just use his components to create a new grid. To make a better grid. There's no red program long time ago. The old system once before had Master Control Program, a bad one, and for some program who had users like us, they have blue or yellow circuitry, rebels. Yellow.. A hacking program."

"Match."

"Right. I think Tron has a trace from the old system. Since this grid's programs have no user, they should stand by themselves. Whereas I've been write them down."

"Humanity?"

"I know you'll say that."

"That's why Clu is blue.. He's a human. My cell-theory.."

"I know, I know, don't repeat that."

"Huh!..." She offended. But suddenly she saw something. "Hey! Tron smiling!"

"Sure. He's not rebooting for such. He must listen. But not concious."

"Special program.."

"Flynn!"

Lisa just thought Flynn called his own name. It's Clu. And he appeared like flash.

"Man, I can't believe we speak each other again."

"Destroy your disc. All of you!"

What an order.

"Calm down!"

"No! You can't think straight if you still with the disc! Destroy it!"

"I know, Clu. The virus. Yes. We just need to remove it. You should remove it too. Don't say you are not destroy their main control room yet."

Clu shook his head.

"You're wrong. They are very smart, Flynn. This is what they want. Explanation just makes it worse. Okay, for short, I'll tell you that the virus is for who has blood and what connected with them (disc, hologram, etc) is where they can plant the virus. Not the disc. "Clu looked around. He noticed Lisa—happy to see her—but Sam and Quorra was gone.

"Where are they? You let them go? What about our plan?"

"You out of the plan, told that we're sick, and blamed my child who had cured you? What's on earth is going on with you?"

"Enough!"

That's not Lisa.

"Tron?"

The warrior was sitting on his bed. "He was right. Hallucinating person will deny that they are do. Look, what are you doing while they prepare their plan we even have no idea what is it? Just that blood and blood, way out of here, explain this and that without really doing something. Lisa depended on you so we never one step in front of them. Moreover, you let that two adventurer messed up with.. Maybe same purpose and progress. Despite of your bad habit, Flynn, I know you always try to consider everything. That's why we're different."

Flynn stared Tron, frustated. "So, we absent-minded? Overall?"

Lisa still on Clu's bed. She held her hot head. Polemic got her insane. Her uncle sat in a chair. Their eyes stared nowhere.

"Have a rest, Flynn."

Clu looked for the discs. He destroyed them with his own.

"Clu.." Tron called him breathtakingly.

They saw Flynn closed his eyes, slumped into his chair. Lisa staggered and fell to the bed. Tron forced himself to help them. Clu felt so much guilt, but this had better to be done. They moved the duo programmers to their own bed, which Clu finally could use his real body again. But he still gotta use the hologram once more.

"You're human now." Said Tron when Clu gave him an energy water.

"And look what it become. They couldn't stand it. Too many pressure. Already been written and has a limit."

"Yeah, like ISO. There's part that beyond us. What about your disc?"

"I'm controlled directly. The virus just disrupting. Don't worry with that anymore."

"I should. What's up with this virus?"

"Flynn was wrong when he mentioned this virus for programs. But I would think the same because this reminded me with Abraxas, so it's not his fault. You got blood shot, why? Those programs injected too. But actually, the biggest component for the virus growing, is brain. A permanent storage, fragile one. Users have brain, identity disc is connected with them. Programs have too, but can be deleted without being derrezzed. So, if you're they, what you gonna do?"

"Give them brain."

"Makes them a human. Feed their hidden cells with blood. So they live and the DNA reacts good to the 'grid' in them. That's all I know."

Tron listened with full attention. "Science pretty interesting, aren't it? Welcome back, Clu."

"You too."

Light Jet game suddenly turned as a brutal persecution. Red Light Jet.. That's right. Sam had been given an ability to make basic programs baton could be used more than just a lightcycle, but also a Light Jet. This is it. A war. When you give each enemy a gun. Those planes scattered everywhere, since the programs weren't written to drive that, but their spirit of unclear reason, energizing. Sam and Quorra prepared their baton.

Someone took their disc behind them.

"Clu?! Give it back!"

"Look what you've done."

"We want to get out."

"You're hologram, idiot." Young Flynn smashed their disc with his. "A very good reminder become a forgetful dumb."

It was true. Both couples snapped right after they were free from their disc. But no collapsed because that uncle and niece were too much working with their head whether strength. Sam and Quorra looked around with innocent face. They regretted this mess. It's a waste of time.

"I trust you. We need a backup plan. But hurry up."

And the figure was gone.

"I'm very tired of this." Quorra held her head again.

"Don't give up, dear. Let's go."

"My king! Chaos! Red basics used Light Jet! All of them! We are under attack!"

"What!?"

The king typed on his tablet quickly. And soon, they heard screams of falling programs. He deactivated their baton.

"Your stupid games make our works slower!" He shouted to his son.

"That's impossible. Someone else must behind this."

"Then who? You had killed them all, you said. And destroyed the computer. You didn't even see it, I suppose!"

"I'm sorry. I'll fix this soon."

"And stop injecting them! Look at your lambs! They can't even protect asses!"

Edward whispered. "I'm not Kevin Flynn, and you can't stand here controlling everything if they know we are user. I know some of my viruses failed, but this one even more riskful and also promising. We don't want they hear this. Be patient, please."

"Be patient? You think jail is hotel? You have no idea when the CEO turns prisoners. I hate human. And now what?"

The king left in anger. Edward clenched his hand. 'ex-ceo, corruptor.'

"Sir," his assistant interrupted. "Are we stopping?"

"Very wise question. Yes, you shall stop. But if you do, we begin the next major party, right?"

"Right.. But the king didn't give me the order."

Edward stared his father assisstant. He had something to do.

Sam and Quorra opened their eyes. And they just arrived. "Here we are. It's easy, hahah."

Here. The second place they once visited on The Grid. Where Sam got his false circuitry color. They went inside, found the similar receptionist as before. He greeted them.

"Change color?"

"No. Where's my clothes?"

"Clothes?"

"Do you remember us?"

"Many programs in The Grid."

"We are the stray."

"Unique stray." Quorra added. Stray wasn't something new.

"I think.. Ahh.. Yea.."

"Just show me where's those damned clothes!"

The receptionist clicked his table quickly.

"I need your disc, sir."

They didn't have. Thousand crap.

Really sucks. "Sam! What actually your plan, hah?" Quorra stood in the mid of clothes racks. She never feels so irked. They had to find it manually. Sam ran to every row, identifying his shoes that very different than the others.

"I find it!"

"Thank God!"

He groped his pants pocket. And took something special that never exist in this place before.

"Phone?" Quorra remembered his little failed hacker when they insisted to get in here.

He called someone.

"Grandpa? Your phone ringing."

Alan stopped himself from ate his spaghetti. A boy ran towards him held a shaking smartphone. His mother watched the boy with love.

"Honey, when we eat, you eat, and don't shout your grandfather. Also, bad boy, don't disturb him."

"That's fine. He's not Jet, and I won't makes him so." Said he to the woman, who was his daughter in law.

He saw Sam's name in the screen. Very rare. "Sam?"

"Fiuh. Why'd so long?"

"What so urgent?"

"Alan, sorry for ruin up your peace night. But, how Flynnlives going?"

He laughed. "We waiting you. Since when you interesting?"

"Take it in my house, in my choco dark shelf, there's combination board in the front mid of the upper cabinet. You have to click it. It's 27qFlynn."

Alan shocked. "What happened, Sam? Where are you now?"

"I'm on The Grid. And that's microchip is the I/O. The Grid has never gone anywhere."

"...really?.."

"Oh, Alan! If I out there, we can speak more."

Tut. Tut.

"You lie to me. Is that project about The Grid?" Quorra frowned. Sam grinned. He wore the clothes.

"They gave me hope, I gave them facilities. Flynnlives project, dedicated for deceased dad who still alive right now, the point is the microchip we thought before as The Grid. It just, what The Grid they're expected if we really inside? Land? That's why I never thrust them that, even hid it in my house. But, sometimes I used the title for media so those olds happy."

"'Them'?"

"Oh ya, them. Alan and Roy. Let's go back."

They released the helmets. Only Lisa and Flynn greeted them. The reintegration room back to it's first condition. Black and gloomy. They surprised to see 'user' jacket and pants appeared with Sam. But Lisa also did. She never likes that swimsuit.

"Are you down too?" She gave them a new disc, which will suit whatever clothes. Duo programmers used revenge in making the antivirus. Sam shook his head, mocking.

"Don't waste time. Clu and Tron had gone first to clean the way. I'll give you a hint." Flynn swung his hand to the air upon him. And they suddenly saw Recognizers, Light Jets, whole vehicles used by the sentries to capture every program. Lot of them derrezzed, and lots of cries. Gunshots went through their body, not real, but creepy. Flynn swung his hand again, and the view was gone. "Prepare."

"War?" Sam asked to himself.

Quorra remembered again her bad memories. "Purge."

"Not purge." Lisa lent her hands to help them out of their box. "Slavery."

She took two small cubes. "I only can deliver two persons for one cube. I'll go with uncle Flynn."

"No!" Sam took one. "I go with you, Quorra with dad."

Lisa disappointed. She's a true fan of her uncle.

They held each other cube. And closed their eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

"Woah! We haven't been gone yet?"

The cousins looked around. This was not the portal. But, the bad news was, neither reintegration room. It's another blank one but there's many light lines against the darkness.

She almost fell down.

"Does signal can make the 'deliver' ruin?"

Sam showed his phone. Lisa was wondering like a scientist. "If it's stronger than the portal signal, the lane will change to where we are now. But it should be another one. Another one..?"

Sam had blown. Everything related about 'portal' rolled around in his head.

Beep-beep.

Sam picked up his phone. It's Alan. "Sam, the mc had been stolen. Your house was ransacked, maybe at morning. Marv's hiding, I just gave him a hamburger—without mayo. And I saw Encom's helicopter landed on there now from here. Gotta find out. Bye."

Sam stared his cousin after put his phone back. He needed to explain the truth to her. "There's another portal in Encom. Still passive, like in here. And this signal, near with the connections between them which as worth as your uncle's disc. Is that clear?"

Sam heard something. He looked up dark places to hide that very far from there. Damn. Sam barely knew that Lisa was a loser in sport. He might give a rescue breath to her—after like forever running, but it might taste as kiss, so forgot it. They saw a train of sentries with light spotted them along and only in their way, more like robots than those he met in the clinic. The front rows, was the king himself. Dillinger. With special suit that not unsuitable his age. Sam couldn't stand it. A nerd four-eyes son, and vintage father. Perfect.

"Hmpf.."

"Ssh!"

An assistant ran to his king from where they came.

"Why starting so soon?!" Dillinger shouted furiously.

"Pardon me, my excellence. This is really urgent. Don't worry, he had ensured everything."

"Everything? What about my safety? Where's my black guards?"

The assistant frightened. The king's voice jarred whole the room, even Sam and Lisa felt needed to shut their ears.

"Ehm.. They had to keep the portal from the outside. They are waiting for you, Sir."

The king gave a suspicious look.

"I want to know how faith are you.."

"My faith is endless, my excellence." Said the assistant fearfully.

"But you were listening to my son's order without asked my permission."

"I didn't, swear! Sir Edward willed to keep this secret from you as a surprise."

'Fool', thought Dillinger while he looked away. He stepped on somewhere in front of them. And later appeared a digital panel, blank, and he touched it as the screen rippled.

"I had seen it before." Lisa murmured quietly. Sam smirked. But he lost it as dots of lights surrounded in formations, made plots around the darkness. From those emerged holographic planes which are some kind of light jet and helicopter combination.

"How did he do that?" Asked her blew.

Sam patted the body. "It's real. He figured out the way to use this Einstein's stuff."

They stared each other surprisingly later.

"Sam!"

Flynn shook his head at her as they reunited after a quick search. They found nobody here. Suddenly a plane quickly came over, showed Tron as the pilot, made Flynn and Quorra went out from hiding.

"Flynn. Things are unclear here."

"I know. We lost Sam and Lisa. Where's Clu?"

Tron looked at the portal. "There. Unfortunately after the young user with his new and well suited guards. You're not that stupid for guessing it, are you, Flynn?"

Flynn gripped his hand. "Why I'm scared?"

"It's not your fault. "Quorra gave a sensational mother's touch. She ordered Tron. "Go and find the other. We'll wait here."

"That would take forever. This is a game between gamers. I have what we precisely need." Flynn took his disc, clicked it awhile and smiled to somewhere in The Grid's cities.

"The bit!" Quorra exclaimed.

"This is my camera, old thing. I didn't know how Dillinger could track and trick it."

"We neither see it after explosion." Said Quorra.

The bit saying yes rapidly. Flynn grabbed it slowly as it fluorescent and he closed his eyes which the thing showed records like visions. He opened his eyes, both grid's world habitant watched him curiously. His expressions showed things bad already happened.

"I saw my answers. Edward.."

"He made programs? Like those guards?" Asked Tron unpleased.

Quorra remembered something. "He is program designer, of course."

Flynn released the bit. "No. It's not the point. He knew.. Everything. From bit, he accessed my memories." The old man looked older. He couldn't believe how hurt it did when you're hacked. How easy it was. "I spent my whole life held this secret."

"But the bit is with us now. Whatever that, don't let him know further, Flynn." Said Tron vigorously.

He stared Tron and Quorra. They were 'pure' people, however. What could be expected from them in the true battle of his real world? Well, he had taught them strength and pain. And they had talent of great instinct in case of positive thinking. Something that made them had blue circuitry. He might forget, but that's what he believed since decades ago. No regret for any hard work.

"Right. Bit.. Can you show me where's Sam and lisa?"

"Yes yes yes!"

"Good. Improve yourself as a navigator. Help Tron find them."

The bit spun excitedly. Tron followed it with his plane. Wondered to where it went.

"The Center?"

Flynn smiled mysteriously to Quorra while they see the plane towards. "Right. To the other portal."

Quorra showed her guilt. "I just know it too, Flynn. And that's your friends idea, Sam never agreed it. Anyhow, what's the matter with hopes?"

"Do you know that he used the microchip he stole from your boyfriend's house?"

Quorra startled, but she bold. "That's the.. risk."

"Yes it is." Flynn frustrated. "Look how it occurred-"

Suddenly, both of them alarmed. Holograms of new version armies surrounded the portal's area, with them in the middle.

"Edward." Flynn stated as he back to back with Quorra.

"Nah, good you know this, then can you tell me how strong they are?"

He got an idea. "To the portal!"

Quorra took her disc, when she realised this army would react only if there's a form of rebellion, and they didn't use the gun around their body to finish them, instead of acted threatening. She defeated those near the causeway, kicked the last before they're separated in the mid of it which split and moved towards the portal. She looked to behind her confusedly, where Flynn was releasing his disc to the portal.

"What are you doing?! We can't leave Sam!"

The armies started to shoot them. Flynn grabbed her arm roughly to get inside the portal and pointed with his head to The Center. She saw something weird on its top, but it was the same thing to where she stood right now. Later she couldn't remember. Everything just black, and she felt numb for second.

Tron saw The Center's head. He just, knew what the hell was that upon it too. And why? How?

Some windows suddenly glowed around the top. He got closer. By the holographic technology which Lisa and he applied to most things they made, a button would transport him inside without had to break anything.

A very strange view showed from the plane's window now. It's blue, well, it's water. He's in the Sea of Simulation? What joke was this? The plane started to not balance.

"Ugh!"

Flynn breathed the air. It's different. Totally different. Not clean, but familiar to him. This was his room. His secret room where everything began. His dream, career and life. The whole time he spent from something that he never thought before as what's behind this. Imperfection. He learnt the effect, but his loveliest son memorized the nightmare every day. It was his fault.

"Quorra?" He saw her lied down unconscious, proud for her ability to stay outside alive and fresh. She awoke and held her head, panting.

"Flynn!"

Trang!

Quorra pushed him and threw a gun away from a man's hand with her disc. She then punched the man and kicked him till he hit the wall and fell with a bleeding head. She breathed in a hurry, but a shocked face written later as she looked at the disc. She stared Flynn who just stood and she knew he understood already and had decided what to do. He took a crowbar where he the only person who knew where it was. Down his sofa. And he just jabbed, hit, destroyed every important part he knew they would never had any substitute, not for short time.

"What? It's on his hand now. Let's go." Said he.

"Explain me, Flynn."

"You think? To make his guard which is not an ISO like you—I still believe—to be exist here, he must make not only a portal, but relation."

"That's what you wanted from long time ago, right?"

"I didn't put hopes for programs."

The old man and her walked out slowly, fell guards in the arcade who though Flynn was no more strength could be expected from him, knowledge and a little punch would be fair enough. "Where do we going?"

"Ssh." He stopped her from walked outside. Still many more guards with tuxedo stood out there. Before they even realised, building behind them crashed, no explosion, just a weird plane broke it and flew away.

People on the beach screamed when they saw a lot of black planes weird and glowed red along their lines, appeared from the sea and started to shooting people around, made them fell, body covered with electric breeze, soon dried and dead. They then flew to the city just like those jets in war. And from the sea too, after the rush reduced, three people swimmed, attempted to reach the surface. They exhausted. But the one was the shocked most. Sun shined so bright, very bright. More than he could imagine. The colors of the world so vary, and though the shine pretty yellow orange, even tree would seem so green.

"Land..." Lisa grabbed the beach's sand with full relieved. Sam was standing with horrified face. Tron's eyes slit still. But later he joined the cousins confusedly.

"What they have done.. Why the bodies.."

Lisa closed her eyes, crying. "This is human, Tron. Not immortal. When they died, well, they, died." Said Sam. Lisa saw the program in asking for sympathy. But she just realised that his suit wasn't changing.

"You're the same. So it allowed for all of us."

"You forgot that he has no blood? He can be here it's magic. Must be that goddamn Edward's mistake. Or because the portal opened like a door. You should use the cube. You should try it."

"Don't blame me. I have no idea. Yet it only can be used for specific reason. And I didn't know that both world connected terribly like this, and or we could use it to use the cube to get the hell out of there."

"Quiet." Tron took his baton as he turned the plane into it before because he knew it wouldn't make it in such waves. "Where we go now?"

"Follow the planes, attack them before they kill more people."

"Don't. I know you brave. But if we dead now, more people can't be saved."

"Sam!"

The trio's looked at a young woman who approached them. An old man there too, sadly stared the deads in such beautiful place, he examined a dead man, his body just black, wrinkled into skeleton. Lisa ran to him. "What's your plan now?"

_Few minutes ago.._

A man was busy in a room, a computer station like, some arcades included, and in the middle, some kind of—what can I say? It's a portal and when you see it you may think it will make you gone. Like a teleport, in a white blue light. Covered with a glass tube. He's working in calm until he turned around to see something that annoyed him. The light shining, stronger, it shook the room with a huge sound, like an earthquake. He heard cracked glass sound, and instinctively hide behind a counter, later shards flies everywhere and stabbed wherever it could. Then the chaos stopped, like a dimmed light. Not dark, he moved his head up slowly to see. The portal still there, but there's someone, stood perfectly, with futuristic black and dark blue armor, a full covered helmet and glowed red fibers sparkling in streams. It's a robot, but considered from his 'portal', he would be a program. Wasn't there no programs in The Grid? And without the mc, how it accessed by itself? Yet, Flynn never described them like this.

He took his pager, gonna texted Alan, but he texted him earlier.

ABORT!

"Damn." He cursed. While he looked back again, the 'programs' just more and more appeared from the portal, holograph. But, oddest than everything else, someone whom he knew very well, just appeared in the mid of them with a selfless assistant, a leader who had lost the title long ago.

"Dillinger." He breathed.

The door opened. A woman greetted them. Roy knew her as the other Dillinger's assistant.

Ass.

"Sir, Mr. Edward willing to meet you."

The old Dillinger didn't seem happy. "Yes, I do want to talk to that moron as well." He walked out rudely with his guards, but two of them not moved. Seemingly Dillinger wasn't noticed. When the door closed, their eyes flashed on and spread lights, at once Roy thought them Cyclops, but as it's not destroying anything, they would be scanned. Maybe they looked for him. But it meant that, they did order from another Dillinger who knew Encom better and had the biggest passion as brilliant plan. Alan always keep an eye on him since his father jailed, life surrounded by shame, and Sam moved his strongest allies after his hard work of making the biggest influence in Encom through him—that's enough reason for a sweet revenge. Old Dillinger maybe just an alibi.

He's awoken. Didn't know where to run, just tried to hide. But suddenly a weird sound made him aware, and also relieved. Whoever this person was, he was trying to kill the good-armoured program.

Silent. He peeped out. That face speechless him.

"Flynn?" Said he as he stood subconsciously.

The man panted. This place was so much different. Cold. But not stable. He could feel a layer under his program suit. Bold and warm.

"I'm not Flynn. Who are you?"

Roy shocked. "Then you are.. Clu?"

"How do you know me?" Asked Clu. Why so many people knew him that he didn't? No words should be. This was the user's world.

Roy got closer to him. Last story he remembered about him was that he was the bad guy. But maybe things changed depended on condition. "I'm Flynn's friend."

"I see." Clu was looking around. He's smiling then. No doubt Edward had plan here. He stared the portal. "You're on this?"

"Yes. The key is microchip of the grid. Without it nothing will work. But he had done it."

"Edward? You had seen him before me?"

"No. I saw his father, instead. With guards. Can guess what their plan."

"But I.." Clu grabbed Roy's arm. "We must get out of here."

"Wait! We have to destroy this place first."

"Ok." Said Clu easily.

"What?"

Clu took his disc. Then threw it vertically across the whole room like a boomerang. Soon the room turned as Titanic. Roy couldn't believe it. Just like Flynn but he knew the man weren't so bold doing such things. Or he could think him as a cool-athletic version of his old friend. Clu was going to point the disc into the portal, but Roy held him. "That's not how to 'kill' it. Don't worry, we've make enough damage. Let's go."

They almost reached the door before they're in each other way with someone else. Clu prepared his disc.

"Roy?"

Both man surprised. "Alan! What actually going on?"

Alan didn't answer it. He startled to see Flynn. But he's not Flynn. Too young.

"I'm Clu." Said the figure. Alan nodded. "I know it. Very well. It just, long time no see that face."

Clu led the way. Behind him, Roy and Alan being very energized.

"What are you doing?!"

"I don't understand with what you are talking about."

Edward sat on the place where Sam or Alan should be. The director's chair. It's the meeting room where the first time he felt that all his plans were ruined, and few days later the person he need very much just kicked out of from here. When all the praises, gone again. The thing he always wanted since every humiliation shouted to him. He didn't cheat. Every worth honour wasn't easily dropped on his hand. Sam didn't care the company, and only him who did. This was belonged to his father—to him. This was his own.

And now, not only this.

But the whole world did.

"This is not the time we had dealed."

"Actually, this is my time that I debated with you before. You think fact and sign always be number one? Look how you got this. Sit down, and be nice."

The old man muscles tighten. "You rule me?! How dare you!"

"I showed you the way into The Grid."

"And I did the most things you couldn't! You will never get inside because you can't! I'm your father! And you proud of your little asshole?!"

Bam!

The table cracked. Young Dillinger gripped his injured hand. He's furious.

"I hate you! Guards!"

Dillinger shocked that his guards was not them, the sentries, anymore. His assistant approached Edward, stood beside him with fear, a pinch in his eyes could be seen. The guards all walked in rows along the way between the father and son. And he knew, for God's sake, it's his end.

Dor! Dor! Dor! Dor!

Edward put the gun with vacant four blood type barrel. He later accidentally saw his assistant, now, scared. Or put a pity.

"You're allured?"

"Sir.. Why?"

Edward heard a sound from the assisstant's tab. And at the time, he knew what he would do.

"Still sympathy?"

The assistant stared him confusedly. As his boss approaching, he walking back. When he knew nowhere to go further, Edward kicked him out, the glass window crashed and everyone who were passed the way looked above them, someone thrown, and they screamed, stayed away.

Edward took his handphone. It buttons symbolized weird codes.

"Encom."

No time for this old man reunited with the world again, but after looked at the high tower, he realised the changes. And it's actually beautiful, but The Grid are modern even more.

"Look!" Quorra cried but not loud enough. She pointed right to what was happening there. It's Edward, if you seen him. Jumped out and broke the broken glass window, and as he leapt, his suit turned into a black stainless with diagonal big grey light strip across chest, and lots of structured small lines in stream, showed how perfect it was. The Grid like on his own and he free to make design he wanted.

Not only him, there's many more of new designed big soldiers flew in his way, people were no more on the ground, and a flat plane like no-head's UFO be a nice landing base. It flew away, and at the time the trio's approached something that fell first from the tower. It was small cubes spread around, and there's a tab too. Broken.

"Can we access it?" Asked Quorra.

Lisa chuckled. "Things from here, Quorra, you know, brittle."

Flynn still holding the tab, examine. "What's with this tab, nowadays?"

Quorra interrupt. "Don't think anything, Flynn! Just hack it!"

The old man smiling to her. Meaningful. His niece scratch her head. "I don't get it. Not the things from here that we can create and fix magically. Sam and Tron were trying to destroy some colonist there, and they did it. This world has trees."

"And computer."

"Can we start now? I really wanna kick them."

Flynn takes his disc. He direct it below the tab and start clicking. Both woman know the old man were trying, but no doubt he still has the knowledge with him.

Quorra look behind them.

"Clu."

"Flynn?"

Another elders walk slowly, but surely, to their old friend. Flynn is no more focus and give the disc with the broken tab floating on it to Lisa which not moving her head even a little to greet them. He hug them, bestfriends friendly hug. He miss them so much. They always support him, even in terrible times. When loveliest person pass away, and dream is just come true, to arisen his spirit of life so he can survive and protect his boy as his precious purpose. When no one, you don't need to expect them to be present, but if they are exist, you can trust them, believe that no betrayal, really believed it, and you can have rest awhile. No human flawless.

Clu walk behind them, pretty far behind, after sure that his helmet will protects his eyes because this world's brightness is tremendous.

"Uncle!"

Flynn look over, seeing the tab recovered. Then the view showed in the screen.

100% complete.

"Not good." Said Clu. He didn't have time for conversation. "I gotta go, Flynn. Sam and Tron?"

"Join them. Take her with you." Flynn gave code to Quorra, and them both soon split their baton, went away to the sky with the fastest plane or jet they could imagine.

"They had destroyed the computers, I bet." Said he to his friends.

"He killed his father. We heard the shots. Four times. Crazy."

Alan didn't want to care. "Glad he's dead. We're heading to Roy's computer base."

Lisa fell silent. "Blood gun. It may be handy."

"What?"

"Can I locate you?" Asked her to Roy. He gave her his GPS.

Flynn seemingly knew her plan, and so they split as well. "Watch out of humans too."

Alan dazed as he saw her ran to Encom. "Productives, being warriors. Only these elders left."

"I'm the cause of it." Flynn breathed heavily. "Come on, help me."

Lisa across rooms, lots of employees hid down their table.

"What are you waiting, idiots?! Go away! As far as you can!"

"First, robots! Shots! We're dead!" Cried someone in panic. Lisa approached him while everyone leaving. "Where's the shots?"

"Boardroom."

Boardroom. She looked for the gun, but before that, the old man lied on the floor had stopped her. She remembered the exact view, who lied in coffin. This would be an equal condition. Young, but bad thing happened and as time passed made him an old dead body-like, and this old just a dead, but it looked the same.

Lisa got a perfect goose flesh. That man's eyes. It's moving. Stared her. This morning had so much horror. Later she realised something. She's actually a heartless person. But this man had broken it deep inside her.

She looked around, maybe there's something could help. And foolishly forgot every of her knowledge. It felt like so long since she used her brain because of the virus.

She laid her disc. Tried to find one of Flynn's memory about hospital equipment that would save this dying man. She didn't take blood bag instead of its small tube. She couldn't ask the man what was his blood type or knew what's in the memory. The only neutral substitute was coconut fruit. Lucky for her, Flynn loved beach and its stuff at summer. Was that him with little young Sam? Lovely boy. How's he doin' right now?

"Holy shit!"

Sam and Tron kept shooting. But those things they destroyed was immortal as same as theirs. They could recover so quick. What's next?

"Sam!"

A blue and yellow circuitry lines of two different jet plane side by side made Sam realised the change that happened so far. Quorra approached him, opened her window in the middle of rain shots.

"They're invincible!"

"I know!" Sam shouted loudly. "And what?"

"Slowing down won't work for long." Roy and his friends across an alley to his base—ment. It was the similar computer station like in Encom, just not a well off kind. A popcorn in bowl he offered to his friends. However, eating was still an essential.

"We should keep contacting with them." Said Flynn. He looked around. "Stilll with these stuffs, 'eh?"

"Hey, man, they worth my head."

"Fine. Roy, we gotta make a portal. You know what to do, right?"

"I'm on it."

"Alan,"

"Ok, Sir." Alan laughed. He booted every computer and even arcade. What he should prepare when Flynn and him first time agreed to create a grid world. "Some old-leader, still works for me."

Suddenly he remembered something. "The microchip!" He stared Flynn while the man was making a cable out of his disc connected to one of Roy's computer, which supported with a display. Display that he didn't see it before.

"What?" Flynn looked back at him. Alan shook his head. "Nothing." But as he returned his face, "My God. Cool."

Flynn made a space in the middle of the room. Some popcorns fell on the table when he moved it and he put the bowl somewhere—not going to make bestfriend offended.

From the disc, a core came out, flew to where Flynn directed it with his bare hand. Alan watched with full amazement.

"Why Roy so long?"

"You should give him a baton to go. We've used the closest electricity tower for our previous project. Flynnlives. You know it?"

Flynn smirked. "I know, but forget."

Alan smiled back. "That's why we're not for this. We should stay at home and waiting."

"I'll dead twice."

"I know that."

Roy came. His face pale. He just walked slowly inside in silent.

"What happened?" Asked one of them to him.

"I don't.. No idea of our worries. Or shall we?"

"No jokes, Roy."

The frizzy-hair man moved his head a little to the door, inert. Flynn and Alan waited convulsively to who would appear next.

It's Lisa. With someone supported by her arm.

"Please help me with him." Said her. But a second gone, and no one moved from their place. Lisa never felt so shocked like now, except when she saw dead bodies on the beach, but, hey, this was another prevention.

"Hello!"

"What are you doing?" Asked Alan stood still. He felt oppressed.

She understood this. Alan had lost his son, and this poor Dillinger she brought with her was the cause of it. Her uncle as well, but Roy? What about him?

"Mr.. Roy? Won't you help?"

Roy gave a surrender move. "How can I have the heart?" He took the man, laid the body on a table and put the coconut on a toy basketball's ring. Lisa took the popcorn and ate some, while the other hand put the blood gun. Then grabbed a glass of water somewhere in the room without thinking. She approached the trio and grinned.

"When we start?"

"I need all of us in the right place." Flynn—full of silence, took the core of his disc, and they expanded it together with bare hands like pulling a fabric. The core, like a sun, just not red-orange, but blue-white, made itself a similar cylinder, though the place might not suit it, but this all enough. "Where it transport us?" Asked the young woman.

"It's flexible."

"Which means?"

"We may be able to fight them by ourselves, from knowledge and strength side, balance," Flynn loosened a monitor/cpu, took the rams, with help of some tool he created a huge graphical memory, in slices, and grabbed some, sprayed those to the portal as he walked surrounding it like a shaman's ritual. When the memories touched the portal it destroyed to be light sprinkles, pulled magnetically into it. "But not for sure. We lack of amount."

Lisa confused.

"Who's you gonna take with?"

Flynn looked at Roy mischievously. "I think we know whom."


	13. Chapter 13

"And we know certainly who suppose not get it." Said Flynn.

"Dillinger?" Asked Roy.

"Correct." As he said that, he ran to the dying man, drew in his blood, and made it a sample for his work. "His son and him never separate naturally. That's the card he's playing, but lose basics—if he really learned biology."

"Look, let me clear this out. You're going to arm people like programs? Omit Dillinger's so the junior won't figure it?" Lisa pulled herself back after nerves of big things happening attacked her.

"It's ready. Well, yes, young lady. I'll send announcement to everyone. A simple questionaire. If they agree, I'll slide," He put in his hand to the portal's mid, as something formed in the shimmering light, he grabbed it even before the thing completed, then wave it. A smartphone like, but the whole thing is glass. "this thing." He continued innocently.

"Yeah.. What a thing. That's what written on my head." Lisa and Roy exchanged a quick glance.

"Why don't we use programs?" Asked Lisa. The old man looked at her with his sharp eyes.

"Why don't he use programs?"

"I get it. So what's next?"

"Their devices will turn into armor. Don't fake yourself, my dear, I know you know this better than I am."

Alan, the most logical within the group, came forward. "Are you sure people will believe this crap?"

"They mustn't have choices right now."

The man still him, but he had a pinch of spirit. "So, what shall I do?"

Flynn didn't answer. He took more things from the portal that popped in it's mid like goods on cashier's running deck. Those are batons. He gave one to Roy—who dazzled, one for himself, the other for Lisa. "Stay here." Said he.

The girl frightened. "Are you nut?!" She couldn't imagine how that would matter. The combination between Alan and dying Dillinger? Brrr.

"Alan, we'll need more server and you're the only person who can organize it. Whilst that, lets go."

Lisa stared worringly to them before leaving.

"Here's the plan. Roy, you go to town electricity and sprinkle this," He gave him a transparent little box with moving glare. "What's this? Choco jimmies?" Asked him.

"Seriously. Lisa, gathering people will take time. I want you to find other place, just don't too close the battlefield."

"Give it to me."

"And where will you go?" Asked Roy.

"Check kids. Keep contact with me, Lisa."

She nodded her head. "Hope you can ride the baton. It's not the changeable one." Said her to Roy. He stunned. "This is only dream up vehicle. Whatever it is."

They snapped the baton. Lisa must confess that she couldn't use baton—the vehicle for sure, but no time to waste. She can modify it, however, so what's the catch? Moreover, beside her, Roy whoa himself as it turned into plane. And he didn't seem confused.

There was a large hole inside a large iron like circle. Flynn, in a plane, recognize it as a disc. It spitted shots out from big cannons which those barrels circling around. Down there, the trio's Sam, Quorra, and Tron were handling the other enemy's jets as they're more and more from the hole on the sea. Clu himself, controlling the cannons above them.

"You make that, Sam?" Mumbled Flynn as he saw his son's disc on his back were gone. He got some worries when those planes beside him got wounded, but quickly, the big disc shot blue light streaks to each of them, and the planes renewed.

"Flynn! Watch out!" Someone cried.

It happened so fast. After seconds, Flynn saw himself lied on top of a building, terribly hurt and surrounded by crashes of his own plane. He could see the glass screen near him, luckily unbroken because he made it so, and he took it, spoke. "Find resources."

It really in minute. In other place, Roy was sifting the box's 'jimmies', while he heard a voice from something formed on his ear, an earphone. "Have you finished, Mr. Roy?" Asked the voice.

"Lisa? What you've done?"

"Hmm.. After saw the body and gesture of my earphone's user, you're finished."

"Ha—?!"

Roy slammed to his seat rough and hardly. But the most annoying was the moment he blinked and just realise that he in somewhere else right then. Hmm, was this netcafe? In front of his plane, was computer station—he knew that very well, and he landed on the place that purposed for.

"I'm testing my teleporter and communicator." Said Lisa. "And I need your help to design the armors. Uncle—Don't know how he did that—send me alert message. Get down there!"

"At least let me see my door shut!" Cried Roy. "Anyway," He started took control of some area there. "I didn't know the problem, but what's with those programs? We can use them whether sacrifice people."

"The enemies you see now are no longer programs, they're half human. Won't affect much by dead electricity."

"Lisa.. Talk about electricity, you must see this."

He showed her in a computer screen that the power from electric center drained to dead.

"You know what? He take most of them for that tiny glass, and we? No offense, but Flynn is behind the time, we can use nuclear to help the power, or.. Why not?!"

Lisa knew clearly what inside the man's head. She offended, anyway. "No. The hole belong to Edward. If we shoot it, the real world will get the same impact. Even nuclear can't close that portal. Just stick to the plan."

A message appear in all the screen there.

I can hear your argue. Stop that before we run out power, goddamn. Alan

"How can he know?"

"I connected to him. Webcam, CCTV, you know. Contact military, I don't say I disagree your idea of power source. This place doesn't have hope.. Oh my God! What is it?"

They got out in hurry. The same with something happened outside, on roadway. Javelins and tanks spew group of missilles to various places on the sky, hitting lots of Grid's jets, beside them, soldiers convoy. "Where are they come from? I didn't see them ever since." Asked Lisa.

Roy saw this as a big chance. "Hey! Get me your captain!"

"Get away, folks! Evacuate them!" Shouted the soldier. Roy lost his patience. "I can help you to stop this!"

The captain—from his uniform, has a very good ears that he could hear those words. "Help? Told me how!"

Roy stared Lisa. "Armies for armies! Why Flynn didn't think that before? I really can't stop ask that question!"

Lisa stayed silent for she had more to consider. The captain himself, didn't move to anywhere but his mouth threw commands.

"Captain, do your soldiers have electronics?"

"They have cellphones from folks donation."

"That's great! Wait a moment!"

Roy pulled Lisa quickly into the cafe. "Prepare that! We'll direct the armors to their phone. There must be specialization for military cellphones."

Lisa still wonder. "Why uncle didn't think about this?"

"Hey, I won't repeat, Lisa."

She almost cried. "You don't trust him."

Roy surprised. "Am I? Or he don't trust troops?"

"Kinda people like us have good imagination from technology. Push some more power to the armors and we will be as good as soldier—That have learned these stuff for whole life. That's his strategy." Said her.

"Then push some more knowledge for the contraries."

Another message showed on the screen.

He just don't know that soldiers nowadays have cellphones in their pocket for their own, not radios. Now we can use both powers, so stop talking and do what you should!

Silence.

"At least, uncle have a good decision to give us revelation from this Mr. Alan."

"Right. We better not put questions out of the plan."

"Agree. Back to work."

Roy and Lisa came out again, and in the mid of the nation armies, they looked up the captain who pretty doubted the very new invention, but he had none for the sake of his country. Lisa took a weapon, with a help of her new disc, she turned it into digital flare gun, then shot it to the rushing sky when soon after, it spread like meteor fireworks to every side of roadways, struck every cellphone of the armies. Like a miracle, those phones grew, covered each of their user's body.

"Oh God! You turn them into robots! Are they still human?" Cried the captain.

"Half and half. Don't worry, we only take the skill of your armies, and kill emotions. Some people can be greed, you know. Moreover, it's good to develop focus and strength." Said Lisa.

Roy thrusted a box with seducing word 'click' on it. "Take this, captain. You won't lose emotion, this one."

And the war begun.

Sam carried his injured father away to safer place with Tron. The old man still grip that glass thing tightly, even his son didn't realise its existence. However, as he heard the battle got rowdy, and he couldn't bear himself no more, he put the glass near him before his eyes closed. Perhaps things were getting balanced. He knew it.

"Hey, man," Sam took something from his back. It's a first aid kit box. He tossed it to Tron. "You know what to do with that. Cure my father."

Tron knew very well that he is a fighter, but he dreadly refused.

"Where the hell is this robots come from?" Asked him to Quorra who just arrived.

"Seemingly soldiers. Many of them on the streets before, and now.."

"Hmmm." Sam nodded. "Let's help them, then."

Both couple ran through the sky with their plane. Sam got out from his and stood on the surface just like some times ago. He pointed his hand to the big disc, and the thing got smaller as it came to his hand. On top of it, Clu found that his cannons missing.

"Sam!" Called him. "Why are you stop me?"

"Look!" The young man gave a sign so they looked to the groups of flying robots who shot every nearest jets. "We get the help. But this gonna endless, Clu. I don't hear from his yet, anyway."

On the sea's whirlpool, the huge flat plane belong to Edward floated and its checked bottom surface blinking like disco ball, while down there, the jets appeared one by one from the hole. If you follow its rhytim, they're the same.

"You want to intervene?"

"Yes!" Yelled Quorra. "Now or never."

"No plane or jet. Too big."

"Stop it!" Cried Clu. "You're freakin' mad? It has shield, and the plane just like a.. plate. It has active alertness on both side. That easy!"

"How on earth he could make sorta thing?"

"Hmm.. Probably the E=mc2."

"Darn! Should be! Then his armies may appear in no time."

"Seemingly," Quorra pointed the thing. "Right now."

Isn't it obvious? As he knew the human had their Iron men on their way to give some wow-factor punches, he smirked like a stroke wolf and start to spread his own. His armies look more tough and big. The duo Roy and Lisa rushed to strengthen their, while the new trio—Tron replaced—being busy again to fight the jets.

"Oh no. We won't make it!" Cried Lisa. "They're way too many!"

After a pause of consider, Roy agreed. "You're right. Human need years to grow, and they came like tsunami."

In another place, Alan just back from outside. He stood still in front of those computer. Where's Flynn? What he supposed to do?

"There can't be a battle between two men with only one sword."

Alan turned around and shockingly found the voice came from Dillinger. The 'very old' man was sitting on the bed. If you can call it bed. He seemed to awake some time ago.

"Don't move!" Alan took the blood gun. "You've done something bad, I'll kill you."

"What I can do?"

Alan distracted with that statement so he stared the computers again. Nothing was wrong. "Why you said that?"

The man's eyeballs spotted an area near him. So he followed it. It was the computer which reporting the usage of electricity that the duo were using right now. The calculation is, energy sent, received, and used. It wouldn't fulfill the battery and the pic of the energy just stayed in the mid, a bit glitching.

"Maybe the computer a lil broken." Said Alan.

"That's what everyone say. To the hell with that. Imagine if it's my son who used it together with us. One day, the 'glitch' will eat all like a hungry termit."

"He mentioned it?"

"Never. But he might be inspired by the resource of The Grid. Since it also still on. Everyone sickly cheatin now. We'll get slapped before we even realise it."

"We need to move to another place."

"I have an idea."

Alan quirked his eyebrows. "What?"

"Lisa?"

"Anything else happen?" Asked the girl to Alan who called her within their neat ear-micphone communicator.

"Can you put battery in each things?"

"You mean those armies?"

"Anything. I want everything to be portable. Our computers, signals, even you."

"But if they're spent to death, what's gonna happen, huh? We need the supplies for emergency."

"How with dead lamps? How you're going to help it? We can't have a source no more. Let everything to its own way, just keep track to the supplies for each. You know what I mean, a usable charging battery."

"Ah-hè. But you need to help me with that part."

"Ah-hè."

Sick.


End file.
